Rin: God's Favorite Daughter
by HoshiiNoTenshi
Summary: Whoever imagines himself a favorite with God holds others in contempt.
1. Blood Tears

Hello, Hoshi no Tenshi here with a Sesshy and Rin fic. Rin is the 16-year-old daughter of a human emperor. But then her sheltered lifestyle is shattered by lies and betrayal.  
Disclaimer- I wish I did then maybe I wouldn't be so broke.

Blood Tears

Her padded feet echoed through out the silent hallways as the elderly woman made her way towards her mistress's chambers. This was her routine for as long as she could remember.

"Hime-sama, it is time to awaken," said the sweet voice that greeted her every morning.  
"Good morning, Tani-san. How are you this morning?" said the yawning girl in the plush bed as she pushed aside the curtains. Tani quickly went over to the sliding doors and opened them, allowing the soft morning sun to illuminate the room. Slowing the faint sounds of birds chirping away in the garden filled the room.

"I am well hime-sama. Your father expects you to be dressed and ready early today for the arrival of the Kariudo hime and her father. Remember today is the announcement of your brother's marriage…. Awe, I remember that it wasn't too long ago that both of you were running in the garden away from your tutors. The years have passed me by so quickly." As the elderly woman stood there looking out over the garden, she felt soft hands wrap around her neck.  
"Don't worry Tani-san, my brother isn't leaving the palace, and you will be able to terrorize his children."

"But what about you my dear? Your father will find a prince for you to marry and you will leave and never visit this old lady." The elderly lady let out a sigh.

"Don't worry Tani-san. I will not leave the palace anytime soon. My father has promised that he will not arrange a marriage without my consent. So I get to choose whom I marry." With that said she kissed her nanny on the cheek and headed towards the bathhouse. Before she left out of the door, she gripped a small object in her hand and said softly, "And Kami-sama has ruled that I must stay here."

X

Her light, sleeping gown slid down her body as she gathered her hair into a messy bun. She felt a cold chill pass over her skin and quickly slid into the water. She removed the sponge from its resting place on a nearby rock. She squeezed the sponge and as the warm water ran over her back, she slipped into a daydream.

_"Happy Birthday, Kiryuurin," said a low deep voice. A dark handsome man with black hair and deep brown eyes, stood with an ornate carved silver jewelry box in his two hands._  
_"Oh wow, otou-sama, thank you so much," said Rin, as the candle light hit the jewelry box and gave a mystifying warm glow that made her eyes grow with wonder. She wasted no time in seizing the box and prying it open. As she gazed inside, her eyes grew even larger. She saw a blood red ruby on a silver necklace nestled on top of a plush purple silk pillow. The ruby had deep facets that reflected the light of candles majestically but the ruby seemed to glow with its own inner glow that was both eerie and inviting. She removed the necklace delicately from its box. _  
_"Wow it is so beautiful," she said after several seconds that seemed like forever while she gazed deeply into the ruby. _  
_"It has been passed down throughout my family for generations. It protects our family and our kingdom from threats of outsiders. You are its keeper now as your grandmother was before you and her mother before her," said her father._  
_After several seconds of silence, she spoke again. "But why me otou-sama, why not Riku? He is the one that will rule the kingdom after you are gone," she said looking up at her father._  
_"Because Kiryuurin, the stone does not obey men of our family. It only obeys women because it was born of a woman."_  
_"Born of a woman? What are you talking about" she asked while her eyebrows arched and her eyes gleamed with an incredulous light. _  
_Her father walked over to the walls of scrolls and seemingly pulled out a random scroll and unfurled it on his wooden desk. Kiryuurin followed him and leaned over the desk. She saw a scroll that contained not words but pictures. The artist had taken painstakingly small brush marks to depict his subjects. Her father pointed to a spot on the scroll and pointed out a beautiful woman with long black hair and deep black eyes and she had a golden aura around her but when Kiryuurin leaned closer, she noticed that the woman, like the ruby, glowed with an internal light that leaked through her pores. Kiryuurin thought to herself that this woman must have been something incredibly special in order for the artist to depict her with such reverence. _  
_If only I could be a favorite of kami like that. Her father broke her musings and began his story. _  
_"It was born of our ancestor, Kiryuurin. She was the wife of a warrior chief of our clan. In those days, there was much war and chaos but our ancestor did not allow his wife or daughter to be touched by the wars and kept them as safe as he could. Then after years of seclusion, Kiryuurin could not take being confined to the gardens of the compound any longer and decided to take her young daughter into the surrounding fields, so she could view the beauty of the wild flowers. That day she sat with her daughter making wreaths of wild flowers to bring back with them, when they were ambushed by arrows of the same country they had a peace treaty for the last year. Kiryuurin tried to run so she could warn her husband but mostly to protect her daughter. As she almost made it to the gates, the barrage of black arrows soared and impaled her but she hunched over so that the arrows could not hit her daughter… You know there is an ancient saying that states, that Kami listens to the tears of women because they understand the world. I don't know if that is true or not but the things, that your grandmother showed me, were interesting to say the least… As she lay dieing, she whispered a prayer to save her daughter and her husband from the intruders. Then as her tears mixed with her blood a strange light appeared in her chest and began to grow bigger and stronger as more arrows rained down upon her. The guards at the gate said that as the arrows hit the light they disintegrated into dust. Then when the arrows stopped, their master ran out to retrieve his wife's body and found that his daughter was unharmed. When he held her in his arms, he saw that she was gripping onto something and found that ruby in her hand…" He stopped there and scanned the pictures contained within the scroll as if each scene were moving inside his head like a memory. After a few seconds of silent musings, he continued, "I don't know maybe the girl found it in the field but it has repeatedly protected our family and our kingdom from outside invaders." He turned to his daughter and stared into her eyes and said, "You must be its protector. Even though your brother is to be king of our land, you are its protector." He hesitated before adding, "Also my daughter, there is one thing I must tell you, you can never leave the boundaries of our lands."_  
_"Why not?" she quickly interrupted._  
_"Because you are our protector and this is your fate," he said with a firm tone._  
_With that upon her mind, she gazed once more into the ruby as her smile faded into a frown. It took her a second to look up and gaze into her father's eyes._  
_"I don't want it," she said matter of fact as she began to put the necklace back into its case._  
_"This is not up for discussion, Kiryuurin. You will put it on and you will accept your fate. Argh, you are exactly like your grandmother. She too hated the necklace but by the time I was old enough to have reason, she had already accepted her fate and so shall you." He said forcefully. He forced the jewelry box into her hands._  
_Her eyes began to water as she stammered to find words that would counter him. _  
_"I yearn to be free… I never asked for this life… I would have been happy to be born a scullery maid and not your daughter…" she said as her tears began to flow. As her tears flowed, a red light began to pulse inside the jewelry box. She didn't dare to open the box but finally opened it as its light radiated brighter. Her tears flowed freely as she gazed into the jewel._  
_"It calls to you and responds to your tears and your will. Kiryuurin, this is your fate. I know it is not simple to take on the responsibilities of this task but think that, that you will be sacrificing your freedom for the sake of your people and your family… We as rulers must ensure everything for our people with our very lives. Do you think I would choose this life if I had a choice. I would give all the power and all the wealth to see myself as a simple farmer coming home every evening from the fields to the smiling faces of you, your brother and your mother, welcoming me home. But I do not have a say in the life that fate chose for me and neither do you." He said to his daughter. _  
_Another long silence fell in the room. She sniffed and gathered her strength. _  
_"I will never accept it. I do not want any part of your curse or anything else you want to give me," she yelled as her tears flowed as a river down her cheek. As she cried harder, the light of the ruby grew larger and engulfed her. _  
She splashed water onto her face and silently cursed her memory. Her reverie soon changed to another scene.  
_Rin found herself walking in a dark gloomy forest. The pine trees seemed to be heavy with sorrow. Her blue kimono was ripped in several places and was covered with blood and dirt. Her head pounded as she walked. Suddenly she heard voices and heard the familiar cries of her mother. She ran towards them but was shocked still as she saw her family kneeling in front of a portly old man but she could not see his face. He laughed evilly as the katanas one by one came down upon the necks of her family. She could not scream. She tried but the sounds would not come out of her throat. She opened her mouth and swallowed large quantities of air. _  
_"Find the girl and remove her neck from the ruby. It has hindered my family from obtaining these lands for far too long," said the gruff voice of the old man as she quietly began to stir in her bed._  
Kiryuurin splashed water in her face to allow the blood in her veins to flow freely again. Why did she think about the nightmare she dreamed of that day when she received her fate. She squeezed the sponge against her shoulder and let the warm water flow down her back. She could not feel the pain anymore but she knew those detestable words were there.  
_She awoke to find her mother starring at her with tears._  
_"Oh Kiryuurin, I didn't think you would wake after you collapsed in your father's library," her mother's words broke into a high-pitched squeal but then returned to normal._  
_"What happened?" She said groggy as her nerves began to tingle with alertness and then there was pain._  
_"Why does my back hurt," she said now more awaken by the pain._  
_"You collapsed when you yelled at your father. You have been out for three days. When he lifted you to carry you to your bed, he found blood seeping through your clothes. You have scratches on your back we do not know where they came from."_  
_With that Kiryuurin quickly ran to the full-length mirror and ripped her clothing off and tore the bandages off and turned her back to the mirror. She lightly grazed her fingers over the closer words on her back._  
_"They are not scratches, they are words," she said turning to her mother. _  
_"Words? What kind of barbaric language is that?"_  
_"The language of Kami," she said sternly._  
_Her mother gasped, "The language of Kami. No it can't be."_  
_"It is says 'with tears of blood of woman born. Shall this land be at peace,'" she said gasping at her own words and quickly lifted her hand to her mouth._  
_"How do you know this? How can you read it?" Her mother said as she grabbed Rin by the shoulders and tried shaking the answers out of her._  
_"I… do not know." She simply stated._  
_"You do not know? Then why did you say such things?"_  
_"They came into my head. I don't know," Rin said as she began to cry. Her mother comforted her and hugged her till she stopped crying._  
_"I don't want this," she repeated over and over again as crystal hot tears rolled down her red puffy cheeks. _  
_"Shh, it is ok Kiryuurin. Nothing will happen to you." Her mother said in her soft voice._

"With tears of blood of woman born, Shall this land be at peace." She said and scoffed as her hand hit the surface of the water and distorted her reflection.  
"Absolutely ridiculous. Fate you are evil and you are laughing in my face. I hate you. I just want to be normal. Why can't I be normal?"  
"Hime-sama, are you ok," said the familiar voice of Tani, effectively rousing her from her argument.  
"Yes, I am fine. I will be out in a second." She replied.  
"Ok child, your father expects you to be in the greeting room in thirty minutes. I have already laid out your kimono and your slippers. We have to hurry to do your hair and make-up, if you wish to look presentable to your guests."  
"Ok Tani-san. I am coming," she said as she began to rise up from the water. She grabbed a towel and began to wipe off the excess water and wrapped her long raven hair in a bun.  
She quickly made her way back to her room. On her bed she saw a dark green kimono with red rose vines crawling up from the hem. She quickly dressed and wrapped her hair in a conservative bun with jade chopsticks placed to hold it together. She grabbed her dangly emerald earrings and quickly placed them into her ears. She then took her brush and applied rouge to her lips and then pale green eye shadow to her eyelids. She sighed and looked into the mirror. Then she sat there at her vanity staring at the silver jewelry box. It had small rubies adorning the antennae of silver butterflies. Around the edge were etched the words on her back. Something disgusting rose in the back of her throat. She hated the sight of those words. She removed the necklace from its resting place and quickly placed it upon her neck. If this was to be her fate, then she would face it with dignity.

I hope you have all enjoyed the first installment of this story. Please R&R. All types are welcomed.


	2. Sugared Wounds

_Sugared Wounds_

Kiryuurin slowly approached her father's greeting room. She could hear the soft swishing of her tabis on the hardwood floor. As she rounded the corner, she could hear the soft laughter of a young woman and then the sound of a gruff manly laugh. She stopped just outside of the sliding doors to listen again to this laugh that seemed so familiar. As she stood there delving into the dark recesses of her mind, a servant quickly slid the doors opened and nearly walked into her.  
"Hime-sama… I am sorry. I did not know that you were here." The young servant girl said.  
"It is alright," she said as she passed through the arches of the great doors.  
"Ah, there she is. I thought maybe you had lost your way from the bathhouse. Come, daughter, this is the lord of Kariudo, Taira no Yokoshitomaru and his lovely daughter Itani and his son Ikano," said her father in his most pompous grandeur. He indicated a fat balding man that had a long white beard. His cheeks were red and he was sweating profusely because of the many layers of fabric that he wore to cover himself. Kiryuurin taught to herself that maybe with that much fabric she could make herself a tent or maybe a fort. She let a small smirk slide across her lips.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. We have heard so much about you and you may call me Shiteka," he said as he grasped her hand and placed a wet kiss with his pudgy lips. His eyes never left the jewel around her neck.  
She withdrew her hand and gave him a deep bow, "You flatter me your lordship, but I am hardly a deep topic of discussion."  
"On contrary, my dear hime, you are very intriguing," said the velvet voice of the handsome young solider, Ikano. Kiryuurin acknowledged his bow with another bow and a smile. This solider was intriguing. His hair was tied into a small ponytail at the base of his neck. His skin had a light golden tan. A gentle smile passed onto his lips and a tinge of pink grazed his cheeks. The men that she trained and sparred with in her father's army were never as handsome as this solider.  
"Kiryuurin, I would appreciate it if you would take Itani and Ikano on a tour of castle and gardens," her father said.  
"Yes, otou-sama," she replied. She hated having to be so fake to people, she barely knew.

They walked in silence till they reached the gardens. Then the solider broke the silence and said, "So tell me hime, what is it you like to do for fun?"  
"Spar," she simply replied. She heard a polite laugh coming from the direction of Itani.  
"Please do not tell me that your father has allowed you to spar with men. It is not very lady like," Itani said with a hint of contempt in her voice.  
"That is exactly why I do it. I would rather be me like than lady like," she retorted. She effectively silenced her.  
"I agree. It is definitely better to be one's own person than the image everyone wants you to be," said the solider as he gazed at the white rose bush as they strolled through the gardens. At that Itani merely huffed at him.  
A momentary silence fell upon the group as Itani absent mindly began to gaze into the lake. Kiryuurin ignored the two and began to pick the flowers off a nearby bush as they sat in the gazebo over looking the placid lake. Ikano was entranced with Kiryuurin. Her soft long black hair beckoned to his hand. His eyes began to trace the soft curves of her face as she smiled to the flowers in her hand.  
"Aw Chichi-ue, I am glad that you could join us," Itani spiky high voice rang into his head.  
"Actually Itani, I wish for you to come and spend time with your fiancé, Prince Riku," the fat man replied.  
"Kiryuurin, I wish for you to entertain the young prince Ikano," came her father's voice from behind her.  
"Hai," was her only reply. The two men walked off with the princess in tow.  
They both fell silent again. Kiryuurin was the first to break the silence.  
"So, tell me Prince Ikano, what is it you like to do for fun in your home?"  
He contemplated for a second his answer.  
"Well, I guess I am like you. I also like to spar."  
She gave him a smile that warmed his heart to the core, but made him sad.  
"You know you have a beautiful smile, but yet you still have sadness in your eyes."  
"Is it not a little too early to compliment me and then to assess my problems."  
"Forgive me. I did not mean to offend you," with true regret in his eyes.  
"Oh I am sorry Ikano-san. I tend to get a little defensive. I did not mean to be rude. Thank you for the compliment," she said with a smile that seemed to banish all his shame.  
"You may call me Ikano. I do not see the need for formalities if we are to be family, hime."  
"If that is the case well then you may call me Rin."  
"Rin… it is very pretty. I thought your name was Kiryuurin."  
"That is my given name. I hate it. It is old and stuffy. Rin is who I am, simple and sweet, not complicated and stale," she gave a short laugh. He also laughed with her.  
"Well then Rin, I hope you can always be simple and sweet."  
The last rays of light began to bathe the couple with pale oranges and soft yellows.  
"I guess we should be heading back. They will think we may have gotten lost or something," she said as gazed to the horizon.  
"I doubt that you could get lost. Choosing not to be found is another matter," he said smirking.  
"You have a point," she looked up at him with her dark chocolate eyes and smiled again.  
He held out his arm for her as he escorted her through the garden back to the main palace.

Night fell as all in the house fell quiet but not all were sleeping. Ikano had gone to his father's room as soon as all in the palace were safely asleep.  
"So tell me my son. Has the young hime peeked your interest?" his father asked as he lounged in a heap of pillows.  
"Well she is intriguing, chichi-ue. She has a quick tongue and speaks her mind when she pleases. Not traits I usually find in the women at court. But her beauty is a different story. There is something about her that calls to me and yet I only have met her once."  
"I agree she is quite beautiful. After I have taken this country and become ruler of these lands, if you wish to have her as a concubine, I will see to it that she is unharmed."  
"Hai, such an exotic flower among my harem of common daisies is always welcomed," he said as he smirked evilly.  
"We will be here a month, in order to allow my armies ample time to reach the castle undetected by the rouse of a marriage celebration…... It is rather sad that your dear sister will become a wife and a widow in one night but she will find another to occupy her mind with."  
"Hai," he said faintly as his mind trailed off into thoughts about Rin.

_**X**_

The month had crawled by slowly. Ikano got every chance to be with Rin. He had practically become her shadow. She did not mind that he was with her. It had been a long time since she found someone to share her interests with, especially sparring. He had decided that she was quite good. She was trained in all weapons and even began to master weapons that had come with the foreigners. Ikano even had managed to talk her into showing him a few moves with the foreign weapons.  
Rin breathed heavily as sweat was pouring down her forehead. She laughed at him as she saw him put one hand on his knee.  
"Tired already, Ikano?"  
"Hardly, I am just getting started. Now prepare to lose," he said as he began to charge at her.  
He had managed to side swiped her to the floor. But then Rin knocked the feet from under him and he fell hard to the floor. He just laughed as he lay on his back.  
"Well that was a good workout don't you think," she asked him still staring at the ceiling.  
"Of course, it is always fun falling for you," he answered while staring at her. She met his gaze and quickly looked back at the ceiling. Her cheeks became even redder.  
" Hime- sama, Ikano-sama dinner will be ready in an hour," rang the familiar voice of Tani.  
"Hai, Tani-san," she said as she started to rise from the floor. He grasped her arm and pulled her to him.  
"Wait, I want to stay like this for a little while," was his only reason as he stared intensely into her eyes. Her only action was to look away and smile as her cheeks began to get redder. He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him. He wanted to gaze into those eyes forever. He then picked his head up and pressed his lips to her lips. How soft they were, like petals on a rose. She let him kiss her; after all she had also wanted it. Their tongues explored each other like what seemed for hours. Then their kiss was interrupted by the loud voices of soldiers entering into the dojo. She quickly rose from on top of him and rushed past the soldiers. They quickly stepped aside as their hime rushed past them. She ran, jogged and then slowly walked to the bathhouse. She slipped into the steamy water. She could not stop thinking about him.  
Am I in love? I like him well enough. He is handsome. He is a great fighter. He can actually speak intelligently. Am I in love?  
She washed herself and quickly got dress for dinner.

**_X_**

"Itani, I wish to officially welcome you to my family as my sister," Rin said to the blushing bride.  
"Thank you, Kiryuurin. I have always wanted to have a sister," Itani said to her new sister.  
Then she left to the veranda that hung over the gardens. She heard heavy footsteps behind her and then stop when Ikano was next to her.  
"It is a beautiful day today for a wedding," he said looking out over to the edge.  
"Yes, I am sure that Itani will make a great wife and mother," she said.  
"I am sure you would too," he said as he grasped her hand.  
"Rin, can you trust me? Can you love me?"  
"Yes, of course why?"  
"I just wanted to hear it. Rin, I want you to know that whatever happens I will protect you."  
"Hai," was the only word she could get out before he pulled her to him and kissed her.  
He greedily assaulted her mouth hungering for more. As quickly as he began he stopped, only looking at her while her eyes were closed.  
"Ikano we must prepare for our journey home," said the gruff voice of Lord Shiteka.  
"Kiryuurin hime you have been a most gracious host to me and my son," he said as he bowed to her.  
"Thank you Shiteka-sama. There is no need for such formalities now we are all family," she said as a genuine smile spread across her lips. The fat man bowed in return and left them.  
"Rin, I want you to meet me tonight at midnight in the clearing in the forest of demons," he said after staring at her after a few seconds of silence.  
"Hai, at midnight," she said with a smile that crawled on her lips but soon faded as it came because of his seriousness.  
"Are you ok Ikano? Is something wrong?" She asked.  
"Yes I am fine Rin. Nothing is wrong. Just remember do not be late. Be at the clearing in the forest of demons, 20 miles from here, ok?" he said.  
"Yes, I know where it is. I will be there, I will not be late." She said to him.  
After a few seconds of just looking at her, he was over come with emotion and spoke out loud what he was thinking.  
"I love you," was what he said to her out of the silence.  
Her mouth opened and her eyes went blank. She tried to talk but could not. He loves me. Oh my god what am I to say.  
"I…I…"  
"I understand. I will see you at midnight." He interrupted. He then walked back into the dining room leaving her to her thoughts and her stuttering. She just stood there for a long time only looking over the garden. He loves me. Do I love him? I don't know. Her internal monologue was interrupted by the voices of her mother and father as they thanked their guests as they left.  
"Thank you for coming everyone, but now we must all retire and I know the newlyweds are eager to start their honeymoon," said her father's voice followed by a few polite laughs from the crowd. With that she walked back into the ballroom.

Night soon fell. All the guests and their hosts had retired for the night, for tomorrow there would be a mass exodus. The imported grandfather clock struck 11:00. Rin stood in her room checking herself in the golden dragon mirror. She tied her long black hair in a simple bun with a feathered clip. She straightened the blue kimono. It had white lotus flowers blooming on the sleeves and the edges of the hem. She proceeded to her dressing table and opened the silver jewelry box. She did not hesitate removing the necklace from its resting place. She had grown to don the ruby out of habit, not because she preferred to. She tiptoed out of the castle and once she was safe from the gates, she ran into the stables and proceeded into the forest. The rhythmic sound of the horse's hooves allowed her to think about what she would say to him. She still had not figured out if she loved him or not, but only that she cared. Before long she got to the clearing. Hmmm… I am early for the first time in my life. She stayed there for a few minutes but quickly found a bush with beautiful white flowers that began to bloom. Wow I heard about these flowers. They only bloom at night. I have to tell father to get these for my gardens. She heard rustling on the far side of the clearing but she thought it was still early so brushed it off as an animal walking by. She heard growling. A large brown wolf jumped into the clearing with glowing red eyes. It leered at her with its large red eyes as saliva dripped down to the forest floor in a puddle. Rin stood there frozen not knowing what to do. All the training that she had done was to protect her but how could she protect herself if her own body did not want to listen to her screaming brain. Run…Run…You need to run Rin. As she began to shift backwards, the demonic wolf quickly lunged at her but missed by a few feet. She took off with the speed of light but the wolf was upon her. Her mortal speed was no match for its demonic speed. With a great swipe of its giant claw, Rin tumbled and hit the floor hard. It crept closer and closer to her. She heard every step in the grass as great strikes of lighting hitting the earth. She closed her eyes as she prepared for death but all she heard was a great explosion and then… all was dark…

**_She didn't know how long she floated in her mind. Am I dead? Why is it so dark? I thought tenkai would be filled with flowers and light. _**  
**_"Rin," she heard a female voice say._**  
**_"Who is there? Where am I? What is this place?" she yelled into the deafening darkness. _**  
**_"I am Kiryuurin. You are in the limbo where the dead visit the sleeping souls of the living," said the female voice. _**  
**_"I am… sleeping and not dead. But how are you me?" she replied._**  
**_"I said I was Kiryuurin not Rin. I did not think you would find your way here sooner then I thought… You are far from what I expected but you do not disappoint." She said as her body began to materialize out of the darkness and then the world was lit up with a blinding shaft of light that grew larger until all the darkness was banished. Rin saw a beautiful woman with a green kimono when she opened her eyes. She felt she was looking at a mirror but the woman was older and taller then herself but yet with the same round face and exquisite features that made Rin beautiful to all men. She saw her there, in front of her standing with a smile that warmed her heart. All around her, she saw beautiful yellow flowers that smelled so sweet that she could not resist the taste of sugar in her mouth. _**  
**_"What am I doing here if I am not dead?"_**  
**_"It is the first time you used the power of the ruby. Your body could not take the great loss of energy that it took to protect you from that wolf… Feral demons will attack anything that moves in the darkness."_**  
**_After a few moments of silence between them, Rin asked, "What… are you, I mean what were you?"_**  
**_"I am dead. I was god's favorite daughter. I wished only to protect my family, as do you. But now is not the time to talk about the past. You must go now and protect our family. Outsiders are attacking your castle. Go Now," with that she raised her hand and an invisible force pushed Rin over the imaginary cliff as everything began to fall away from her. _**  
She awoke to see the dark sky was beginning to give away to pale blue. She reached over and grabbed a branch and began to lift herself to her feet. Her blue kimono was torn in many places. She saw blood along the ridges of the wolf's claw marks but saw no wounds. She could not understand how this was possible. Her head spun and swam with images of that woman. She smelled burning flesh as her senses began to flood back into her now alert body. She could not help but retch up the bile that came from her stomach. Then she heard explosions and yelling. She saw black smoke pouring into the sky. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her. Then she heard the voices so familiar now. She saw the fat bloated body of Lord Shiteka in his ceramonional armor as he paced back forth in front of the kneeling prisoners.  
"You will not get away with this Shiteka," said the high pitch voice of her mother.  
"Ha ha ha.. But I already have," he said as he laughed evilly. Then in the distance he heard the horn of victory sound into the dawn.  
"Good, kill them all. I do not want anyone left when I take possession of these lands." He said as the executors came into Rin's view. One by one the katanas fell onto the heads of her father, her brother and finally her mother. She saw her mother's face with tears in her eyes as the disembodied head rolled to a stop at her feet. Rin could not scream. Her lungs were out of breath.  
"Find the girl and remove her neck from the ruby. It has hindered my family from obtaining these lands for far too long," said the lord. Then she heard barking and snarling as his men began to yell commands to the dogs. She realized that she could not mourn any longer and took off running. She ran and ran through the morning hours, when it became dawn she saw a shack where she hid. She heard the gruff voices again and the barking of the dogs. She whimpered slightly, and then she heard another voice "Let's go I tire of chasing this girl. Chances are that she has already met her doom and if not, the bandits and demons in the western lands will surely have her way with her." With that, she heard stomping and barking as they left. She whimpered a bit more and let out a heart wrenching sob as she realized that everything she had known was now gone.

Well here is the second installment. I hope you enjoyed. As always please R&R with your visit :Humbly bows:


	3. Fickle Fate

Fickle Fate

Rin did not now how many nights she had spent in that shack crying her heart out. She hated fate, it was cruel and evil and it confirmed in her mind that she was not god's favorite daughter. As she fainted into a heated sleep, she heard men's voices again. Oh no they have come back for me. At least I will be at peace with my family. She thought as she felt her body being lifted and dragged into the hated warmth of the sun.  
A splash, followed by freezing cold water hit her hot body as she awakened.  
"Get up girl," said a low loud voice that echoed in her ears.  
"Why were you in our hide out?' said the loud voice again as he kicked her in the side.  
"Aah boss we're not going to get any answers out of her. I say we have fun with her. She is a pretty little thing isn't she boss?" said a higher pitch voice.  
There was silence again then the loud booming voice spoke again, "No, I say we sell her. She looks like she is too young to be a real woman. Besides we will get more money if she is still pure. Pick up all the stash and tie her up with the rest of the cargo in the wagon."

X

Over the week's journey, Rin slipped in and out of consciousness only to hear the rough manly voices that were laughing and carrying on as if she did not exist. Another splash lifted her out of her feverish sleep. "Wake up girl, we have come to the slave market," said the loud booming voice.

X

"Koga, wait up please," said the duel voices of Ginta and Hakaku. The blur of wind stopped and revealed a young man with his black hair in a ponytail and furs that covered his body.  
"Hurry up you two. I want to find my wedding present to Ayame as fast as possible," he said to the pair as he disappeared into a blur of wind.

X

"She is barely alive. Two hundred gold pieces," said a fat man dressed in a dark blue yukata.  
"She is worth more than just two hundred. Just look at her. Her skin even under the dirt is still white as milk and her hair still shines. Her hands are as delicate as petals and are unmarred. She will bring happiness to any lord that would take her into his harem or as a bath maiden," said the bandit as he smirked.  
"Fine three hundred and that is my final offer. Take it or leave Shinma. She better fetch a good price today or else your band will not protect you from me," said the fat man as he handed a black purse to the bandit. The fat man gripped Rin's arms and inspected her fully. He smelled the lingering smell of bath oils in her hair that made him wonder where the bandit had gotten this girl.  
" You better be able to fetch good money today girl," he said as he dragged her half dead body into the bustling crowds of the market place.

X

"Hurry you stupid beast," said a small green toad pulling on the reins of the dragon demon that refused to move.  
"We have to get all the supplies for the castle for the wedding. Why do I even bother talking to a stupid beast," he squawked. They made their way into the busy markets. There, demons and human sellers announced their goods to the passer-bys. All kinds of smells mingled with each other, human and demon alike. The toad stopped and looked at the spice stand and ordered a few boxes and then proceeded on his way. He then made his way to the slave traders. He looked at the human girl with dirt on her face. Even though she looked half dead, she still had beauty. He thought to himself that there was a need for a maid in the castle, but decided that this one was too dead for the price they wanted and went on his way as his pudgy feet shuffled in the dirt.

X

"Koga do you think that Ayame would like a human pet," said Ginta as he looked towards the slave traders announcing the start of the auction.  
"You know what Ginta, I think she might," said the wolf as he headed to the front of the crowd.

"Next up is this wonderful new acquisition. She hails from a far off place, an exotic flower that will bring a smile to any gardener. Her skin is as white as milk and her hair is as black as obsidian. She is mute so she will not anger anyone with a sharp tongue that is so common among the poorer folk," said the fat man as he held up Rin by her arm.  
"And I am practically giving her away for only five hundred gold pieces. Just look at her hands that are unmarred by work. She will make wonderful addition as a bath maiden," he smirked. There was silence from the crowd.  
"Ok old man I will give your five hundred pieces," said Koga's voice as he scanned the girl who was not obviously worth that price.  
"Ah lord Koga, I did not know you were in the western lands. Thank you for your purchase. She is quite lovely," he said as Koga handed him the purse with the coins.  
"Get up girl you have a new master," said the fat man as he began to count his coins. Rin watched her body stand up and walk away as her disembodied spirit followed on a tether. Her body was placed on yet another cart with the other things that caught Koga's fancy. The cart began to move as the oxen were whipped into motion. She again slipped away from the world of the living.

"Oi, girl. Are you hungry," said the voice of the wolf demon.  
"What am I thinking? Didn't the old man say she was mute," he said to himself. He walked over to her and grasped her shoulder with a clawed hand and shook her awake. Rin stared into the pair of blue eyes as he motioned to a bowl in his hand. She seized it as hunger over came her senses. She forgot all manners and inhaled the bowel of rice and meat.  
"It is as if she hasn't eaten for days," Koga said as he stared in disbelief at the small figure inhaling her food.  
"I haven't," she said in between gulping down portions of food that were too big for her mouth. His mouth dropped at the sound of her voice.  
"Ginta did she just speak," Hakaku said.  
"So that damned slave trader lied to me. When we are on our way back through here remind me to kill him," said Koga.  
"Oi, girl what is your name," he finally said as he saw an opening between her gulps of food.  
She contemplated this question. "Rin," was what she said to him.  
"Well, Rin, I am Lord Koga of the northern lands, and these are my advisors, Lord Ginta and Hakaku. You will meet your mistress when we arrive at the western castle," he said to her. Rin just stared at him as if in confusion. She was being addressed as a servant by this… demon. Then the slight memories of the passed week came to her as she realized that everything she had known was now gone from her. Tears streamed down her face as she felt something pulsing near her heart. Koga had sensed the pulsing and stared at her chest. This girl was giving off something that wasn't quite human but her smell was very human.  
"Where do you come from girl," he said still staring at her chest. Through her tears she managed to answer the south.  
"What of your family or have you always been a slave," he asked now as her tears began to flow more freely.  
She quickly wiped the tears and said, "No, an army came through my home and I was captured," knowing that this was a half lie. He nodded in understanding.  
"Well, you are now property of the lord the northern lands. No one will strike you for fear of death. Now we will be off to the western castle," he said as he turned into a blur of wind and sped in the direction of the western castle.

X

They traveled for what seemed like hours for Rin. Her head pounded and her body ached. She was now the property of someone other than herself. She sighed as she realized that this was a fate she could not… No that she did not want to fight against. Maliciously she thought that now she was common, now she would not be the subject of such a fickle fate. As she thought this, her hand slowly crept to the necklace and she silently cried for the loss of her family.

They arrived at the western palace. It was grander even than her own. It had three floors and large windows. The ten-foot wall hid the rest of the land below the castle. She could only imagine the wonders that lay in the shadows of such a heavenly castle.

"Sesshomaru-sama, Lord Koga has arrived," squawked the little green toad.  
"Finally. Jaken, tell my brother and his mate to receive our kinsman," said an icy cold velvet voice.

I hope you all like the chapter…. Please leave reviews behind with your visit. :Humbly bows:


	4. Celestial Meeting

Celestial Meeting

Ayame passed a clawed hand through her hair and checked if she was presentable in the mirror. She was nervous but she had known Koga for all of eternity and she had loved him for as long. She felt a heat rising in her face as she approached the hall where Koga had arrived. She took a deep breath and braced herself to see her future husband.  
"Ah there is the blushing bride to be," said the rich high pitch voice of a young woman.  
"Please," scuffed the gruff voice of a male.  
"Inuyasha, stop it," said the woman again.  
"Yeah mutt, 'stop it'" imitated Koga as he stared into Ayame's smiling face.  
"Did you miss me," he said.  
"Yeah," she giggled as her face began to blush again.  
"Blah, God kill me now. Do you have to get so lovely dovey? Get a room," came Inuyasha's voice again.  
"Inuyasha," warned the woman again.  
"I seem to remember that you used to be that way with me," she purred as she seductively began to scratch behind his plush ears. He shivered, he hated it but it was always better than the sit commands.  
"Wow Kagome, your fat," rang out Koga voice. The woman gave him a death glare.  
"I am not fat. I am pregnant," she said half yelling at the wolf as he shrank from her flaming eyes.  
"Ok, ok sorry. So you finally managed to knock her up," he snickered.  
"Yeah I know but it has been hell."  
"Excuse me. What did you just say," she said as she started to sniffle.  
"Oh I am so sorry sweetie. I meant that it has been hell waiting for the baby to come," he said trying to comfort her.  
Then they heard a throat clearing from the shadows of the hall. As they all turned to the direction of the sound, a tall figure stepped into the light. His long sliver hair swayed like the froth of the waves as he moved towards the group. His boots made a loud clanking sound that echoed through the hall. His shadow grew as he moved away from the darkness.  
"Do you always have to make such an entrance, Sesshomaru," scuffed Inuyasha. Sesshomaru just glared at Inuyasha with a flicker of heated hatred that died as soon as his ice mask conquered it.  
"Well, it is great to see you, cousin," said Koga as he held out his hand to him.  
"As well, cousin, but you are late," said the cool voice as he grasped the outstretched hand.  
"Well, you know things happen and I had to do a few things before coming here. I had a few rogue and feral demons running around in the Northern Lands, that I still need to take care of before we go back. Also I had to stop and get my present for my bride," said Koga.  
"Ooo, a present for me. Really what is it," Ayame said with excitement in her voice as she jumped up and down.  
He ran over to signal to Ginta and Hakaku to bring in the chests and the other present. He told her to close her eyes and he placed something on her neck. When she opened her eyes, she grabbed the object and found that it was a silver necklace craved into the wolf tribal band of twisted branches and silver leaves; in the center lay a moonstone that had a purplish over gloss that split into the many colors of the rainbow. Then he gave her hairbrushes and a silver mirror that were decorated with the flowers that bared her name. She loved everything he brought before her. Then out of the corner of eye she spied something moving in the shadow and glanced pass Koga. He knew she had seen the girl. He nodded and Ginta and Hakaku helped the girl to where they were.  
"And what is this," she asked curiously at the young woman.  
"This is your own personal handmaiden. Poor girl, an army ravished her home and she was captured and placed in the slave market," he said confused at his concern for a servant.  
Ayame walked over to the girl that was now presentable and said, " What is your name?"  
"Rin," came the whisper.  
"What a lovely name," she said.  
"Well I am your Mistress, Ayame."  
"Yes Madame," came another whisper of the wind.  
"The other servants will show you to my rooms," she said turning towards Koga smiling. Rin nodded and followed the servant out the hall as she felt an icy burn growing on her back. She moved her head slightly and caught a glimpse of a pair of two amber orbs staring in her direction.  
"Ayame, we should haul all these things to your rooms so we can put them away, because we still have a lot of details to do before the wedding in three days. Oh and we have to get things ready for the guests when they start arriving tomorrow," said Kagome's voice as she shook her head in disapproval of the little time she had left to finish putting the wedding together.  
"Now you boys play nicely," she said as her final words echoed in the halls as she dragged Ayame by her arm.  
"All I what to do is relax. Tracking those rogues and feral demons are a pain," Koga said as he yawned and stretched his arms and knocked Inuyasha in his head.  
"So tell me what you mutts do around here for fun."  
"I don't know about you but I do as I please," Inuyasha said.  
"Which often gets him into trouble," interjected Sesshomaru, who until now was silent and reclining in one of his plush pillows. Then he heard the door slightly open and saw the young woman come in.  
"Please forgive me for interrupting but my mistress has instructed me to retrieve her things," she said in barely a whisper with her head bowed.  
"Ok but be careful," said Koga as he turned back to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, who was prattling on about something having to do with Kagome. Again Rin felt that icy glare on her skin but only hurried out of the hall.

He felt his eyes quickly dart unconsciously towards the girl as she came in. Odd, it seemed that her presence tugged and sparked something in him but he quickly shoved whatever it was aside as she withdrew quickly like a fleeting vision. Yet his gaze still lingered on the door.

X

She gazed into the mirror. Even though she was able to take a bath before meeting her new mistress, she looked as if she aged 20 years. She had dark circles around her eyes. She was pale and her once rosy lips were now gray and chapped. Her hair was stringy and knotted from days of not brushing. She had never been a vain person but she had noticed the drastic changes in her face. It had only been a week ago that she had been sitting at her makeup table brushing her hair and smoothing out the tangles. Now she was here looking at herself in a mirror of her mistress. She had always heard that from the lips of others but never from her own mouth, but here she was a slave and a handmaiden. She had finally made it to her mistress's room and found she was laughing and giggling at what the other woman was saying.  
"Oh thank you, Rin right? Well I have nothing for you to do now so you may retire to the room next to mine. If you are hungry, go to the kitchen and fetch yourself some food. One of the other servants would be glad to show you where it is. Oh and one thing I have to warn you about, the lord of this castle, Lord Sesshomaru does not take kindly to servants snooping around without permission," she said as she turned back towards her companion. Rin nodded as she walked into the room that was to be hers. It wasn't as big as the one in her castle but it was quaint and somewhat charming. She dropped onto the hard bed and fell into a feverish sleep.

**_"Otou-san, Ka-sama, Onii-chan," said a small voice breaking. A small child was wondering around in the rain than she stopped. A rolling sound had stopped her in her tracks. Then it stopped as she came closer to the object behind the bushes. Her small hands parted the tangled branches and there, right before her eyes were, the eyes of her mother staring back at her. Those once soft brown eyes were now cold and white but were still crying hot tears._** She screamed so loudly that she had awakened herself from the dreadful nightmare. She awoke to find the small room in a darkness that made it seem bigger than it actually was. She wiped the sweat that was cascading down her pale forehead. She panted to allow more air into her lungs but only succeeded into making her dizzy from the lack of oxygen. She had to get out of there. She rushed to the large curtains at the end of the room and forced them aside to reveal the window. She unlatched the window and let chilly air rush into her face. It smelled salty. When she had arrived she had not noticed the ocean so close. She looked beyond the wall and saw the ocean was very near. It looked that with each wave, the ocean was trying to pull a piece of the land with it. She noticed two fireflies dancing together in the moonlight, it was almost full just maybe three more days and it would shine in all its glory but only to start to die the next night. Her eyes followed the two fireflies in their mindless dance and then stop when the two had settled onto a lotus blossom. She drew back her gaze as she saw a koi pond and bushes of flowers and a trail snaking its way through the bushes. She had found a garden. Her heart leaped as she inhaled to catch the scent of the flowers but only succeeded in inhaling more salty air. She had to get a closer look. She locked the window and closed the curtains and made her way to the door. She cracked it open to see if anyone was in the hall, she tensed her body and pressed herself flush against the wall. She had no idea where she was going. She followed the wall to the stairs and then the stairs to another wall. She did this for a while until she made it back to the hall she was in earlier. In the great hall, she noticed giant tapestries some depicting a great battle with a white dog and from what she could tell was a giant snake and then others depicting other demons she concluded, that were staring at her with their cold amber eyes. She was drawn towards the silent fireplace and saw the largest tapestry hanging above it. She knew it was the lord of the castle. She remembered those golden orbs that burned with a cold fire staring at her; following her every move. She saw a silvery light creaking through the heavy satin curtains she gently moved them aside and found a door leading outside.

There was so much light outside but it was pale. The almost full moon had washed the scenery of all its array of colors and only left muted tones of blue, black and white. The flowers' scents assaulted Rin's nostrils and made them flare as she breathed in the fresh air. Now she could breathe, now her chest did not feel as tight as it did in the room. She picked up the frayed ends of a once beautiful kimono and headed towards the path. She wanted to lose herself, even though her garden was beautiful, this place, this place was an Eden. As she made her way through, she found a stream, how peaceful it seemed. She sat there looking at her reflection, examining every inch of herself. She placed her hand in the water and cupped a little bit and then lifted the water to her face. It felt so cool and fresh against her face, something she needed to help her relax. She decided to take a drink from the spring. She thought foolishly that maybe in this unearthly beauty, the water would wipe away her memories as it did dirt and that by some slim chance Kami-sama would leave her in peace and allow her to live in ignorance. When she felt the cold liquid slide down her throat; she felt a hot liquid roll down her cheek; Kami-sama was being unreasonable.

X

His transparent eyelashes fluttered opened and he blinked several times. He then heard what had made him awaken, soft tiny footsteps on the hardwood floor outside of his room, but then they faded. He rose quickly out of bed. He opened the door but no one was there. An intruder in his home, he would not allow that. He heard those footsteps again and he hurried in their direction. The phantom footsteps led him to his hall and he found the door to the garden ajar. What would an intruder want outside unless they were planning something, maybe they were planning to blow up his wall and allow a massive army to invade his home. He growled low in his throat. He saw that the blades of grass had been bent under the weight of someone walking. He silently made his way towards the spring. Then he saw his target lying on one of the larger rocks; the frayed edges of her kimono caressing her skin. He saw her drench her face with the cool water; the beads soaking into her hair and running down her chin. He saw her cup a bit of water and then saw her eyes squint into a pleading stare. Then she drank it but then a tear fell and she looked down in frustration, more tears began to fall. She pulled her legs to her chest as she hugged herself and more tears fell. He saw a red glint near her chest. He smelled something that wasn't human, something that wasn't demon but something that was not of this world. He moved forward and she had heard him. She gasped and called out into the dark.

Thanks for joining me in another one of my ramblings. As always please leave a review with your visit. : Humbly bows:


	5. Blissful Ignorance

Blissful Ignorance

"Who is there," Rin called into the darkness. She knew something was there after all, she had heard it. She wiped her tears and worried that this seemed vaguely familiar.

He stopped in walking position. The glint had vanished. He watched fear creep into her eyes as the salty tears dried. He heard her call out again. Did he really want to make himself known to her, a servant, that the lord of castle was stalking in the shadows?

"You have nothing to fear from me, girl," he heard himself say. She saw him step into the light of the moon. How beautiful he was, with his body draped in hues of gray and blue. She gasped in realization of who he was.

"What are you doing here," he said to her.  
"Forgive me my lord, I was…I was so tired of being in my room but I will leave," she said looking directly into his eyes and then started to walk back to the path.

"Wait, what is your name, girl?"  
"Rin, my lord," she said. After a silence of a few seconds, she made her way towards the house. Her heart was pounding but he had told her she had nothing to fear from him but why was her heart pounding.

He stood there after the last taps of her feet on the gravel died. That glint, it had called to me like a moth to a flame. What were those tears about? What is her story? He then looked down into the stream and exhaled a quantity of air out of his nose in protest of his thoughts. He was not one to occupy his mind with the woes of servants especially ones that were not owned by him.

X

Kagome was running around, ushering servants and guests alike to and fro in the garden. It was almost sun down.

"Alright, I want this tent in place. I want the torches over there," she said as she clapped her hands for them to hasten in their tasks.

"Darling, Darling relax, everything is going fine. At this rate you will tire yourself out before the wedding," Inuyasha said as he pulled his wife to a stop.

"Inuyasha, please do not patronize me. Everything has to be perfect. It is not often that you get to organize a wedding for your friend. Speaking of her, have you seen her," she said.

"I imagine she is getting put together."

"Ok well, look at the time, I suggest you should start getting ready and help Koga out too," she said imprinting her lips on his cheek as she ran inside the great hall.

X

Ayame paced back and forth in her plush decorated room. She had beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. She was nervous, an absolute wreck, and now she was sweaty, which meant she would have to take another bath.

"Ayame-sama, if you keep pacing, you will sweat your hair out of position," said Rin with a slight giggle. It did not take her long to warm to Ayame. The white wolf was gentle and accepted her as a new friend but still knew that she was a servant. After the lord of the castle had caught her in the garden, she was sure she would receive a beating for snooping but nothing had happened. Rin was trying to settle in her new role of servant, maybe if she drowned herself in this new life, her memories of the old life would fade but it was still too early to see if that was the direction her life would take.

"Ok, ok I will calm down. But I have been waiting for this my entire life. Do you know what that is like? Waiting to marry someone you love," she said frantically.

"Hai," said Rin rather dejected and distant. Ayame heard the depression in her voice.  
"What's wrong Rin," she said turning back from her mirror.  
"Nothing, nothing mistress," Rin said banishing the depression with a smile. In the few days that she had been here, she had learned to hide her depression with her smiles, but at night when she was alone, her portrait like smile could not be summoned. Rin picked up the hem of the dress and began adjusting it. Then she heard the door open and Kagome's voice could be heard.  
"Ayame, darling are you ready? Night is fast approaching and the moon will rise."  
"Yes Kagome, yes almost, I am having Rin fix my hem a bit."  
"Wow you look amazing and I see you're wearing Koga's present."  
"Yeah I know. I just had to, you know tradition. In my tribe they say if you do not let the full moon shine on this moonstone on your marriage night, great disaster will befall you and your mate… Hmm…silly traditions but one is a slave to culture and traditions right?"  
"Isn't that always the case. It is how the world goes round. Well, enough about superstitions, fairytales and hokum, we have our own traditional wedding ceremony to hold," with that Kagome turned on her heels and hurried towards the hall. Following after her, Ayame braced herself while deeply inhaling and picked up her heavy kimono with Rin in tow.

It was a beautiful night for this occasion. The moon was so bright and full that there was no need for too many torches. The soft breeze that wafted in from the sea made the night comfortable. The soft light emanating from the stray candles gave everything the light touched a serene glow. Then Rin saw him, the lord, and the light of the candles made him look even more unearthly. This was a different look from the other times she had seen him. He stood there with his back ridged, his armor polished and his two katanas poised at his side. The light breeze did not move his hair and his face was in a bored countenance. She thought he was about to fall asleep. She trailed behind her mistress carrying the train of her kimono and then took her place aside with the rest of the servants.

_God this boring. If I let my mind roam, it will always go back there and I can't go back there. God he looks so bored standing there. I wonder if a wind came by, would he topple over because his back is so stiff. My father used to do that. I remember when he first allowed me to sit in when he greeted the foreign ministers, especially those European ones, so fake all them… I am glad I am a servant now, now I am free to do as I please and not be chided for acting improper. Oh god he is looking at me again. Ok ok, look at the couple, awe they look so happy. Ok he is saying the last words, clap and now to that drafty hall._

Rin assumed her role once again and lifted her mistress's train and followed her into the hall. It was a lot brighter in the hall, all the torches had been lit and it took Rin's eyes a few seconds to adjust to all the light. There were tables full of delicious treats and entrees for everyone. She spent the whole night following her mistress around while she made her greetings to all her guests. Then he walked over.  
"Ayame, I am sure you are enjoying yourself," he said in a bored tone.  
"Oh yes, Sesshomaru-sama. Thank you so much for allowing this to take place in your castle. I couldn't have asked for a better location," she said but noticed that he was looking behind her at something. Rin could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. He could feel something tugging at him again.  
"Nonsense, it was this Sesshomaru's duty. Now it is this Sesshomaru's duty to ask you to a dance, after all it is proper etiquette," he said returning his gaze back towards her and extended his hand. As the musicians played, they waltzed around the dance floor. Then Ayame saw something rather odd in that cold countenance, there was something in his eyes for a second that disappeared as he directed his gaze back at her. Then she heard the great doors open with a loud creaking sound and the sound of heavy metal chains and boots echoing through the hall and to her ears. There in front of her were soldiers in full battle armor, dirt on their faces and crusted dried blood on their hands and armor. The head soldier kneeled in front of Sesshomaru and awaited his lord to address him.  
"What is the meaning of this intrusion," he said growling at the kneeling soldier.  
"Forgive my intrusion, Sesshomaru-sama. There is urgent news from the Northern Lands," he said looking down at the floor.  
"Fine. This Sesshomaru will meet you in the study. Please excuse me, Please continue to enjoy yourselves," he said.

X

"What do you mean to tell me that the rogue and feral demons have joined force," yelled Koga.  
"I do not know Lord Koga. When you left, we had but wiped out all resistance but then a few days ago they attacked several outposts at a time. There were too many of them to fight, we had many casualties, we had to retreat. Then we captured some of them and we realized that they weren't just rogues and ferals but also humans but one thing was very wrong with them. They were possessed; they were mindless zombies and only died when we burned their bodies. We did not know what to make of this. They have taken a significant amount of Northern borderlands and now they are starting to spread like a disease upon the lands. We need reinforcements," said the soldier.

"Koga, take my battalion and my mounted dragon raiders. Inuyasha, you will see to them, they are under your orders. This Sesshomaru will see to the main part of the army and assemble them if there is a need for full scale war on those brazen lowly creature," came the even tone of Sesshomaru.  
"Thank you, Sesshomaru," said Koga.  
"It will take two days to assemble the battalion and the dragon raiders, so this Sesshomaru suggests you both get rest before taking your leave," he said raising his hand to dismiss everyone. After everyone had filed out, he walked over to a tray and poured himself a glass of sake. He lightly sipped as his thoughts began to reanalyze the information.  
Possession…Rogues, ferals, and even humans are joining forces in attacking. Coordinated attacks at that, there is no way that those creatures have the intelligence to pull off something like a full-scale war. There has to be someone at the head of this. Cut off the head and the body will die. "Jaken, send scouts to find out from where these attacks originated," he barked at the toad.  
"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama," he squawked.

X

"Koga please don't go. Let one of your war generals handle this. I do not want anything to happen to you," Ayame said in short respites between the tears that were rolling down her bloated cheeks.  
"I have already done that and now this little tiff has turned very violent. You will stay here with Sesshomaru. I will be back in no time," he said kissing each teardrop. She helped him with the rest of his armor and then kissed her goodbye. She followed him dutifully out to the main gates and watched as he and Inuyasha mounted their horses and left. Kagome and Ayame stood there in hysterics.

X

"This shall be interesting," said a familiar low voice peering into a water mirror.  
"Yes it will, Shiteka. I assume that your men are in place to march from the South" came the voice of a man in a baboon pelt.  
"Yes my lord, as soon as we finish things in Teshura. My army will be ready to march towards the western castle but it will take time to train the new troops. Takemaru's men put up a good fight till they saw their king," said the kneeling plump man laughing.

Well thanks again for another chapter. I am sorry that I have spent a lot of time on Koga and Ayame but they will take a background for Sesshy and Rin. As always please leave a review with your visit. : Humbly bows:


	6. Brewing Emotions

Brewing Emotions

Not a day had pasted within the two months of Koga and Inuyasha's departure that there had been peace in Ayame's rooms. She cried and yelled and threw things. She only spent two days as husband and wife with Koga after the wedding when he had left. Rin thought that if she acted like this, then what would happen if he were hurt. Then Kagome stormed into the room with armor over her fat belly and another set in her arms. Ayame looked up from her tear-stained pillow and stared at Kagome clanking in her armor.  
"Get up and dry your tears and put your armor on. I think we should take the two headed dragon and go be with Koga and Inuyasha, and on the way we can pick up Miroku and Sango" she said with a straight face and Ayame knew she meant business. She quickly removed her sleeping robe and snatched the clothing and armor. Rin helped her with the ties on the breastplate.  
"Ok I am ready. How are we going to get past Sesshomaru," she said adjusting her breastplate and her furs in the mirror. They hurried out towards the stables and were trying to move the dragon out.

X

Sesshomaru had been overseeing the training of the troops, hand-to-hand combat, the archers, mounted horsemen; all were in perfect shape, and just how he liked it. If there were a threat, they would be ready in a moment's notice. He was steadily growing bored with looking at his men when he heard the distant familiar yowling of his dragon. He huffed out an annoyed sighed and walked in the direction of the noise.  
"Come on, I promise to give all the carrots you want if you move," said Kagome to the two-headed dragon.  
"Kagome, I don't think he is going to move. What are we going to do if he does not move," said Ayame.  
"We will find something else. We can always steal some of the horses from the men."  
Then came the sound of a throat clearing. They both lowered their heads in realization of who it was.  
"Foolish women and what pray tell do you think you are doing," he said in an annoyed tone of voice.  
"Umm.. we..we… are going to support our husbands," Kagome said finally finding her nerve.  
"Ridiculous. You have no place in a battle, especially you Kagome," he said even more annoyed.  
"Now go back to your rooms and stay there. This Sesshomaru will inform you on the reports that are received," he said with a cold glare.

X

Rin had been running towards her mistress with the daggers that she left behind when he was ordering the women back up to their rooms. Then suddenly a voice of a soldier rang out, "Look out," he yelled. By the time his voice reached them, a stray arrow had whistled pass Sesshomaru's nose and than through the space between Kagome and Ayame and was headed straight for Rin. They quickly turned their heads to see Rin deflect the arrow to the ground.  
"Rin, wow, how did you know how to do that," Ayame said running towards her and checking to see if she was ok.  
"Wow, you have some great reflexes," Kagome said.  
"Hhh," was the only noise Sesshomaru said with an arched eyebrow.  
"Is everyone ok," said a soldier running towards them.  
"Please forgive me Sesshomaru-sama. One of the new recruits does not have the best aim," he said looking down to the ground.  
"See that he learns soon or else the other archers will use you and him for targets," he said in a half annoyed tone and then walked off with the women.

X

Later that evening Kagome sat on the pillow by the coffee table and was deep in thought. Ayame sat on the low couch eating grapes while Rin was meticulously putting away Ayame's clothes and armor.  
"Kagome, what are you thinking about," she said looking up from the fruit bowel.  
"Oh nothing. I was just trying to find a way to get past the guard dog, Sesshomaru," she said snickering.  
"I was thinking about that also. It's not like we will get into any trouble. You Kagome still retain your skills with a bow correct? Me, a demoness born and bred to fight with the best warriors and now we have Rin, who from what I have seen is skilled in fighting. Speaking on that note, Rin where did you come by those skills," Ayame said turning to the direction of her servant. Rin eyes darted back and forth and she blinked several times before answering, "My father taught me."  
"Interesting, you know Rin, I do not know much about you. All I know is from what Koga told me about how he found you in the slave market," said Ayame motioning for Rin to take a seat in a nearby pillow.  
"Well there is not much to tell. He was a simple man. He loved his land and his family. He wished nothing more than to protect it. We lived in peace until the army came through and murdered my family for not allowing them to do with them what they wished. I had escaped into the woods and found a shack that belonged to bandits, who than took me prisoner and sold me to the slave traders in the marketplace. I am afraid that is all. I am not very fascinating," she said smiling nervously.  
"I am sorry that you have been through so much, forgive me for my intrusion."  
"It's ok mistress. It seems so far away now," she said with a distant look in her eyes. Then their polite chatter was interrupted by the sound of a horse's hooves on the gravel outside the gates. Then they heard the gates open. Ayame ran to the open window and saw that it was a rider, riding under Koga's flag.  
"Oh a messenger has arrived. I am going to see what he has to say. You two stay here," she said slipping behind a closing door. She made her way towards Sesshomaru's study just as the rider was being admitted into the room. She pinned herself against the door so she could hear what was going on.  
"What news do bring soldier," he said looking imposing with the fireplace blazing behind him.  
"Koga-sama and Inuyasha-sama have been able to win back two outposts back in the last week but in this last battle Koga-sama was injured," said the wolf soldier.  
Sesshomaru nodded and waved to dismiss him.

All that Ayame heard was that Koga was hurt, she ran faster then she ever had before. If the doors to her quarters were not opened, she would have crashed through them.  
"Rin, prepare my things I have to leave. My husband is hurt and I must be with him," she said almost out of breath and running around the room pulling things out of place. Rin quickly grabbed Ayame's linen sack and packed all the things Ayame was throwing around. Ayame threw off her kimono and dressed herself in her white furs.  
"Try to stall Sesshomaru till morning. I will be far enough away that he will not send anyone to follow," she said as she jumped into the garden. Then Kagome grabbed a few pillows and stuffed them underneath the satin bed sheets just as they heard a knock at the door. Rin braced herself and went to the door; she opened it slightly and was met by a pair of amber eyes.  
As she quickly darted her gaze she said, "I am sorry my lord but my mistress has cried herself to sleep again."  
"Hhh, Tell your mistress to visit me tomorrow morning as soon as she awakens," he said looking down at her. He sniffed a bit and smelled a lingering scent on the girl, something not quite human. With that he turned around and went to his room. Rin closed the door and began panting, her heart was skipping beats, and she thought he would find out. "Rin relax, I will go with you tomorrow. Now get some rest," Kagome's voice came from the darkness. She quickly made her way to her room. _Tomorrow will be hell, if he does not kill me first,_ were her final thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

X

Sesshomaru sat in one of his reclining pillows sipping on tea. He knew Ayame was gone even before she thought of it. He had smelled her tears when the messenger had given him the news. _This Sesshomaru will not waste time in searching for a rogue female. She left of her own accord. Koga will have to deal with her._ Then his thoughts changed to memories of earlier in the day. That girl who is she. A servant should not have instincts such as those. Maybe an assassin in her previous life? No, she does not seem like the type. What is that curious smell on her skin, something not human, and not demon? Could she be a miko? No, hardly, this Sesshomaru would know if she had any spark of spiritual powers. Enough about this girl, he thought as he clinched his fists tightly. This girl was intruding in his thoughts and he had barely spoken to her. He was not one to let a mere girl deprive him of his sleep.

X

Rin was up as the first rays of the sun sparkled over the eastern side of the castle. She prepared herself for the final hours of her life but in the back of her mind she could hear his voice saying that she had nothing to fear from him. She met Kagome at the entrance of Sesshomaru's waiting room. Before knocking on the door, Jaken slid open the door and said, "Lady Kagome, Lord Sesshomaru has instructed me to inform you that he already knows about Lady Ayame's disappearance and also that he wishes for the girl Rin to explain herself for lying to him, alone," the little green toad squawked.  
"Well, Rin I dare not displease his lordship," she said mockingly, "but I know the toad will not let me inside and I know you will be fine. Be brave, I will be near," she said as made her way down the corridor.  
"Now girl," he said looking at her unimpressed and twisted his beak into a frown as far as Rin could tell, "Lord Sesshomaru has ordered that you join him in a tea ceremony. I do not know for what reason, you are hardly worth the time," he quickly added as he slid back into the room. Rin had been instructed on tea ceremonies and had preformed flawless ones as far as she could remember. She smoothed down the wrinkles on her kimono and prepared to put on a show for this lord.

Throughout the entire ceremony she thought about how much she hated these things and how boring this was. Just when she was allowing herself to enjoy the freedom of being a servant, she had to summon up her background to appear proper. This ceremony was the sole reason why she begged her father to allow her to learn to fight. She then noticed as she was folding the napkin back into place that Sesshomaru's eyebrow arched and his eyes held a spark of curiosity but then was extinguished as he assumed his stoic mask and began to perform his part of the ceremony. When all was done, they sat there in silence, Rin turned her head towards the window and prayed for this to be over and she could leave. Sesshomaru sat and pondered at the girl in front of him, after all she preformed a flawless tea ceremony. Finally he said, "Who are you?"  
Rin quickly turned her head and then lowered her gaze when she met his golden eyes.  
"Rin, your lordship," he heard her whisper.  
"No. Who are you really? A simple servant girl would not know where to begin with a tea ceremony. A simple servant girl would never have the instincts you have. This Sesshomaru will ask you once, who are you," he said in a heated tone as his eyes began to sparkle. Her eyes darted back and forth as she stammered to find words. She was losing breath.  
"This Sesshomaru suggests that you tell the truth for fear of consequence," he snarled as he impatiently awaited her answer.  
Rin gulped up a large amount of air and prepared to tell him everything, "I am from the kingdom of Teshura."  
"I have heard of this kingdom. Then you are of the noble class," he interrupted.  
"Hai. I am.. I mean I was the daughter of Minamoto no Takemaru. My father made a peace treaty with the lord of the neighboring country, whom we had been feuding with for centuries through marriage," she said as she paused to regain her strength to tell him the rest.  
"My brother was to marry the lord's daughter and he did. We accepted their family as part of our family but that was not enough for them. On the night that my brother married, his men attacked and destroyed my home," she said forcing tears back into her tear ducts.  
He paused and waited before saying anything, "This Sesshomaru had been given a report that it had been rebels in your father's country against the peace that attacked. Taira no Yokoshitomaru had been the one to bring the rebels to justice and has annexed the land. How do you know that it was his men?"

She shivered at the mention of that man's name. How she had wanted to rip the throat out of that fatty neck and leave his body to wolves just as his son had done to her.  
"My servant ran me into the woods after they started attacking but I realized that I had to go back for my family, they needed me to protect them. When I was heading towards the castle, I heard my mother's voice and then I saw. He told my mother that he had gotten away with what he had done and then he gave the order to behead them," she said as she collapsed her head into her chest and began to sob.

There it was again. Sesshomaru had turned his head so he could avoid looking at her tears and then he saw a red sparkle in the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head and saw her sobbing into her hands. A strange pain went into his heart and he saw her looking so helpless and crying. His eyebrow arched when he felt that strange feeling. He thought it might be pity but it wasn't quite that and then he saw the red glimmer again. He inhaled the smell again. He hated the smell of humans, that is why Inuyasha and Kagome's rooms were in the other wing of the castle but this smell wasn't human, it was a delicious smell, something that made him hunger to be near, near her, near that light.

She thought she did not have any tears left but they came back when she started talking, she had never voiced what happened, she had lulled herself and the tears had stopped at night but now she cried again and in front of the lord of the castle. Then through her tears she saw him staring at her again like he always did but now there was something different in his eyes that made the tears stop.

The glowing had stopped and he was jerked out of his reverie. He grew annoyed and assumed his emotionless mask once more. He studied the girl with her puffy red eyes and light blush that had spread across her face. His eyes then wandered down to her chest and he saw her gather a few bursts of air as she opened her mouth to resume her tale.  
"Then he sent his men and dogs to find me. I couldn't move until I heard the dogs moving towards me and then I took off running. I found a shack that belonged to bandits and I stayed there for days. I do not know how much time passed and then the bandits came and took me prisoner and sold me." She then fell silent again.

The silence had lasted for what seemed like hours until he spoke, "Self pity is useless. Are you not angry at your fate," he asked emotionless.  
"Yes but I just want to be left alone. I have nothing left. I am tired of fate and its cruelty. I will accept being just a servant," she said with defiant eyes as she stared up at him.  
"If that is what you wish then you will serve me until your mistress returns," he said as he stood up and walked out of the room leaving her to her self-pity.

Thanks for joining me on another one of my ramblings. I hope you enjoyed this. After this chapter I promise that Sesshy and Rin's relationship will bloom. Love isn't easy to script so please be patient. As always leave a review with your visit. : Humbly bows:


	7. Visions of Broken Armor

Visions of Broken Armor

It did not take him a long time to find a use for the girl. She proved that unlike the many human princesses of her time, she was educated. He installed her as his scribe effectively removing that annoying toad from making his days irritating with his incessant squawking. He observed that she meticulously wrote everything down while he met with generals, foreign ministers and other such dignitaries. _She is not such a useless thing._ He sat there half listening to what the fools were prattling on about. It had taken him a long time to settle into the ways of a lord. In his youth, he had an insatiable need to wonder and only with the death of his father did he choose to change. His gaze then dropped down to her. Her presence soothed him in a way he did not know existed. And that light, it felt like being purified but without being rendered incapacitated. He decided when the occasion arose; he would inquire about the strange light. As her delicate hand took the brush and carefully drew out the characters of what was being said, he felt that heavy pang weigh in again in his chest. Then she stopped and shifted her gaze up into his eyes. All blood drained from his face except his cheeks and he could feel the heat rising into his face. He could not summon his mask.

Kagome's eyes were slowly rolling towards the back of her head as the minister prattled on about what the army should and should not do. In the end, she knew Sesshoumaru would do as he pleased. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his head swivel down, down towards Rin. She straightened herself in order to observe him. First, at Ayame's wedding then in the reception and then the countless time she had seen his gaze trail to her at the state dinners when he allowed her to attend. Rin's room in Ayame's apartments was moved near his own when he had taken possession of her. There was something definitely strange going on. Then she saw it. His face grew pale but his cheeks grew red. She smirked and an evil glint gleamed in her eye.

Rin dipped her brush into the ink and scribbled the character as fast as she could hear his sentence. The minister was saying something about the army going this way and that way, her mind had ceased to actually contemplate the words further then choosing the characters that were assigned to them. She hated these meetings when she would attend with her father and her brother and she hated them even more now. _Chichi-ue, Aniki…I am so sorry I took our time for granted. These demons all they have is time but us we must live our days like it is our last._ Her face grew forlorn and wanted nothing more than to be at home again. Then she felt electricity prickle the skin on her neck. She slowly moved her head upwards and met his golden gaze. The flow of time stopped, nothing else matter at that moment. A lifetime passed between them. Those eyes could devour her and she would not mind. The electricity sparked again when she saw his face go pale. Then she heard the minister's voice.  
"My lord are you alright," he said coming closer while the others in the room spun to look upon their lord.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and broke the stare. He managed to summon his mask once more.  
"Yes I am fine but I grow weary of talk. Tomorrow we will continue when the scouts that I sent, return," with a wave of his hands all stood and retired from his presence. Rin stood and gathered her writing implements and began to exit with the rest.  
"Rin," he said in his icy tone that ran shivers down her spine.  
"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama," she asked.  
"You will stay," he stated. She nodded her head and walked over to resume her position upon the pillow.  
Kagome was the last to leave and grinned at the situation and made her way towards her rooms.

X

Kagome's fingers ached and were stained with the dye that had adhered to her skin from the strands of red silk. She kept on weaving determined to finish her task. She moved her fingers skillfully in and out of the intricate lines. Exchanging red with yellow, white with black, green with blue and then methodically back again. Her mind had ceased to pay attention to her body but moved and had landed near the soul she craved.

_She saw his white hair covered with dirt and blood. His face covered with soot from the ever-raging fires in the distance but his eyes gleamed with that feral look that lay deep within his soul. He side stepped the frontal attack and then sung the Tessaiga to block the attack from behind. He countered and sent a Kaze no Kizu in the direction of the two zombies, effectively knocking them out of the fight. Then a fiery flame seemed to burst out of nowhere and burnt the bodies of the mangled zombies and singed the edges of his hair._  
_"Damn it, Koga do you want to watch it with those flames," Inuyasha's voice rang out, while patting down the edges of his hair._  
_"Move then," was Koga's only reply. _  
_Inuyasha stood there as the wind blew passed him and wafted the smell of burning flesh but also something else, a familiar scent that he focused his smell upon. The side of his lips curled into a slight smirk._  
_"I will be home soon," floated into his mind._

Her body sighed and drew her mind back to her senses. She blinked a few times, staring at the red background of the tapestry. It was almost done and she only had a few scenes left. Then she heard the door open and the soft footsteps echo on the floor. She shifted her gaze upwards and found a very pale Rin. She quickly moved away from her loom and shuffled towards her.  
"Are you okay, Rin? What is wrong?" The girl looked startled and pale and her eyes were wide with shock.  
At the sound of her voice a spark lit up in her head and she was drawn into Kagome's eyes.  
"Yes I am fine. Nothing is wrong," was her whispered answer.  
"Are you sure? Did he do something to you?"  
"No nothing. It was just a little bit hot in his study that is all," she said with a small smile.  
"Ok…he is not known for his social skills," she said returning back to her task at the loom.  
"What are you doing, Kagome-sama," she said adjusting a pillow next to Kagome's chair.  
"Oh, this, I am making a tapestry. I was bored and felt I needed to weave with all this time I have. Grab the basket and help me feed the strands of silk," she said motioning towards the basket filled with balls of colored silk.  
"Hai, what, if I may ask, is the subject of the tapestry," Rin said reaching over and positioning the basket in her lap.  
"Just an old legend from around these parts. It is one my friend, Sango told me when I first came to the western lands. It is about a tennyo, who was the tenkou no hime, from her palace hidden in the moon, she saw a human male and she immediately fell in love with him. She saw him grow from a teenager into a man and than saw him go off to war and fight for his clan. During a battle, he was injured and she wept for him and became depressed but then she saw him on the verge of death and visited his dreams and restored his life. In his dream, she told him that the only way she would agree to help him was if he would strive for peace. He agreed without any hesitation. He never forgot that dream and dedicated his life to forging peace throughout his land. Many years passed after that encounter, he found himself alone walking through a grotto where the salty ocean waters and the sweet spring waters met. There he heard the sounds of women laughing and the splashing of water. He went to inspect and found three women bathing in the waters. These women were so beautiful that he knew they could not be human. Then he spotted one of the women closest to the edge and saw that she looked like the woman in his dream, the tennyo that had saved his life. He could hardly believe that she was real and near him that he rushed down towards her. The women were startled by this strange man and began to flee but he called out to the woman of his dreams and told her everything. This over came her heart and she saw the mortal that she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Long story short, she forsakes heaven for this mortal and married him. It is a very beautiful story," she said as her fingers weaved at the edges of the unfinished tapestry.  
"Hai, yes it is. It is one of my favorite stories when I was a child. My grandmother before she passed would tell it to me," Rin said as she stared down at her fingers feeding the strands of silk into the loom. Silence fell into the room. The stroking of the loom was the only thing that could be heard. Kagome was the first to shatter the silence.  
"I have seen the way my brother-in-law looks at you," she said not moving her eyes from the loom.  
Rin blinked at that comment and lifted her head towards Kagome.  
"Do not look at me like that. Since Lady Ayame's wedding, I have noticed that he unconsciously let's his gaze shift towards you. It is an oddity… My brother-in-law has never let his guard down long enough to show emotions, let alone any involuntary movements…. I will warn you once. He is very strange and very self-possessed, to weave yourself into his blood will prove dangerous for he has many enemies but do not be afraid," she said with a smile. Silence soon fell again in the room as the women continued to weave.

**_X_**

The screams had increased in degree since early in the morning. Kagome's pains had hit her hard and fast but not fast enough, it was now nine o'clock in the night, twelve hours of pain. She just kept screaming "I hate you Inuyasha," who thankfully was not around, but Sesshomaru was and she had confused him with Inuyasha and forbade him from coming anywhere near the room. He would not listen to some insane nonsense from a woman in pain and he stayed within earshot of the screaming Kagome. _Thank Kami she has finally stopped screaming. Maybe that blasted child will come._ He could hear the heavy panting escaping Kagome's chest and the soft whispering voice of Rin. Music that is what it sounded like.

She whispered lightly into Kagome's ear while drying the sweat off her forehead. She took the cotton cloth and squeezed it over a large bowel of water and sank it in again trying to get as much water as she could.  
"Come now Kagome ye need to breathe child. Just a little more," said the unmistakable voice of an old woman.  
"I am trying Kaede but this hurts a lot you know," said Kagome gritting her teeth and ripping through the piece of leather that was in her mouth.  
"Ok child ye need to push just one more time, ok ready. One big push." Kagome began to push harder. The vein in her forehead started surfacing and pumped harder. Rin dabbed the cloth across her head as Kagome let out one last loud scream that was over shadowed by the piercing cries of a baby. Kagome collapsed onto the bed and was sighing in relief that the worst was over.  
Rin picked up the buddle just as Sesshomaru stepped into the room unnoticed. Then he saw her smiling and an invisible light illuminated in her eyes. Another one of those strange pangs shoot through his chest. She cooed as she tried to quiet the babe.  
"Look Kagome-sama he is so beautiful," she said as she handed the baby to his mother.  
"I agree child. I wish that my sister Kikyou were here to see him," came Kaede's voice from the far end of the room.  
"Hai shukubo-san Kaede. I wish for my mother to be here to see her grandson," said Kagome's sad laden voice.  
"Aww he even has Inuyasha's fuzzy ears," Kagome said as she rubbed his ears and perking up at the sight of her son.  
"What do you wish to name him," Rin said as she was kneeling next to the bed and was fluffing the pillows.  
"Kaze," she said stifling the yawn that was escaping her mouth.  
"I believe ye must rest child," as Kaede whisked the child out of Kagome's arms and placed him in one swift motion in the crib that was near the window.  
"Come girl, we must let Kagome and the child rest," Kaede said as she gathered up all the towels and other instruments that were laying about the room.  
Sesshomaru watched from his corner as the women filed out of the room. Then Rin stopped in front of his dark corner and whispered, "I will be nearby if you have need of me my lord," with a quick bow she closed the door behind her. Within the three months since she was told that she would be in his service, she had grown accustomed to his presence. It was strange really; it was like fire or lightening charging the air when he was around. It was like needles pricking at her skin that only got more intense when he got closer.

He silently observed Kagome as she slept in her bed, making sure she was fully asleep. The baby lay in the crib wrapped in a white cloth, looking so peaceful, yet his uncle's stoic visage remained unchanging as he examined the baby. He let one clawed hand steal away from his side into the crib and gently caress the plump red cheek, to his surprise the baby nuzzled to his touch and was not afraid. The edges of his amber eyes soften as the baby's eyelids fluttered open and met his gaze. Strange images raced through his mind, which were of tiny little replicas of him. Then he felt the muscles in his cheeks flex as his lips curled into a faint smile, but then the moment was gone as he heard Kagome stir in her bed. He quickly retreated to the door and was met in the hall by Rin.

"Your bath is ready my lord," she whispered as he strode silently passed her. He stopped just in front of her and turned his head slightly and looked from the corner of his eye and stated, "Join me." Her eyes widen in shock. He always wished to be alone during his baths. This was strange to her. He had never asked of her this type of thing. She felt heat grow and spread all over her body. She felt invisible sweat beads snake down her forehead. Her legs felt heavy as she struggled to move them.  
"Do not dawdle Rin," came the voice. He sounded annoyed. She couldn't breath. She felt like she was drowning.

He too could not believe the words that came out of his mouth. After those strange visions that were in his head, he lost control of his body. He had never allowed anyone near the bathhouse while he was bathing, but when he smelled her, she intoxicated him. It had been getting harder and harder to be near her so he slowly began during the last month, start to retreat and avoid her. But then one particular night came to his mind.

_Sesshomaru had been sitting in his study reading some book about war or something or other. He could hear the soft padding of her feet on the wood grain floor. She went back and forth placing scrolls and leather bound books on the multiple shelves around the giant room, but his eyes followed her every move. She climbed the rickety ladder and was trying to reach over to place a book in its place when she lost her footing. She shut her eyes tightly and prepared for the impact but then felt instead of hard wood floor she felt soft silk fabric against her skin. Then she felt it, his heart beat through his chest against her hand. She opened her eyes and found a pair of amber eyes starring at her behind silvery bangs. For a second she saw concern, but then he opened his mouth, "Are you okay," he asked in a monotone voice and let her slide down his body to her feet. He had kept his arms around her waist and waited for her answer. He smelled that intoxicating smell of hers that lingered in her hair. She looked up in a shocked look and nodded. They stood there looking at each other. 'Why am I doing this,' floated across his mind. He could feel her body underneath her kimono. She had a small frame but it was curvy. He felt her firm breast against his body as he pressed her against him tighter. His breathing fell in sync with hers as they stared into each other souls. He saw pain there, not physical, the emotional scars that she still bared. Then his arms fell to his side and he took a step backwards._  
_"You may leave," he said coldly. Her eyes seemed to be lost when he spoke and she did not know what to say. She just straightened her kimono and nodded and hurried out of the door as his gaze intensified. When he heard the click, his resolve melted and he gripped onto the edge of the desk to keep from falling from the lack of oxygen. He panted and his nails dug into the black cedar desk. The places where her body had touched him burned and he could see his skin turn red._

He awakened himself out of the reverie as he felt the heat in his body surface in the areas where her body had been. He was losing control of his own body. They were almost at the bathhouse. There was time to stop this but he could not open his mouth, his jaw was locked tight and his body headed straight.

_This is not right_, she thought, but her own body did not listen to her either. It had never felt like fire burning when she had been close to Ikano's body all those times. When he had caught her and her body was against his, it felt like her skin sizzled underneath her kimono. She never had feelings like those and they scared her. Her cheeks became redder as they reached the bathhouse.

The room was flooded with the soft warm gloss of orange emanating from the torches. Steam rose in tendrils from the bath in the floor. She could not breathe; she was suffocating from the heat of her own body. She watched this tall elegant figure stride soundlessly into the room and then stop at the edge of the bath. She could not believe that he would ask her to join him. But then she felt that electricity prickling at her skin like tiny needles.

He had not said a word to her over their trek to the bathhouse. He could feel the heat that radiated off her body. The warmth beckoned to him. _How can my body betray me like this?_ He exhaled in annoyance. He stopped at the edge of the bath. His conscious was yelling at him, reprimanding him but only succeeded in his body further delving into his baser instincts. He was now outside of his body he could see his head turn to the side slightly and heard his voice saying something to the effect of help. He saw her hesitate when he spoke but then followed with her orders and began to undress him and folding the pieces of clothing and placing them on the nearby benches. In one swift motion, he pulled his body into the water before she could turn around to look at him.

She stood there at the benches gathering enough air to continue living but it was a losing battle. She heard him slip into the water and thanked god that he had the modesty to undress completely while she was turned around. She gathered a little bit of strength and retrieved the rest of his clothing from the edge of the bath. She kneeled while folding the clothes and saw tiny ripples on the surface and then watched in astonishment how the water parted and revealed Sesshomaru's sleek hair. His eyes were closed and his silvery bangs fell in small wet curls over his soft eyelids. Droplets of water slowly snaked their way down the edges of his masculine chin and down the sleek neck and rejoined the rest of the water. Her hand slowly crept upwards and she let the tips of her finger lightly trace the magenta strips that lined his face. Even though his skin looked like porcelain, it had unnatural warmth that stole inside her skin and invaded her pores. _This man, this demon belongs among heaven's angels with a face such as this._ Then within a flutter of her eyelids, he opened his eyelids and gripped her wrist. Electricity shot through her body and set her nerves on fire. She could not blink; his eyes had captured her in an invisible net. Heart rate quickened. Her breath became shallow. She saw his thin lips straighten and thought how nice it would feel to be mauled by him. _Oh my god! Did I just think of that?_ She felt that heat that always arose when she was near him.  
"Forgive me…." She whispered lightly underneath her breath.

When he felt her gaze upon him, he felt that it would burn him alive but when she let her fingers graze his cheek that was not fire that was something different. Pure energy flowed into his veins, the invisible entity that lurked down underneath his ever restraints, riled at the invasion. It hungered for more, hungered for the light. He grabbed her hand and opened his eyes and captured hers. As he saw her small perfect lips form the words of her forgiveness, he lost his restrain. He moved his head closer and gazed further into her soul. He drew in her breath and pushed his lips gently into hers.

Her eyes widen in shock. It was so fast she barely had time to react. Then her shock gave way to the pleasure of his kiss. His lips did not feel foreign to her like Ikano's when he had first kissed her by the lake. She slowly let her lips part and let his tongue inside. This did not seem strange this felt….right. Then she felt his clawed hands grip her shoulders and lift her closer to his body. His hands slowly dropped to wind tightly around her small delicate waist. He gasped widely trying to inhale as much of her taste as he could. He dragged her body into the water and held her closer, pressing his body harder in order to feel her heart beat reverberate within him. It had felt like a lifetime ago that he had felt such passion. The demon soul that hovered within his blood hungered for him to devour her. The pure darkness craved for the pure light within her. His fangs slowly grew and nicked her lip and he felt his mouth filled with her blood. It was heated as it filtered into his mouth.

She winced in pain and moved her head back unconsciously. Her eyelids fluttered open and she gently moved her hand and felt the hot liquid that trickled down her chin. She saw his eyes open and revealed pure blood red eyes that burned with a damning fury. She gasped as fear took over her senses and made her shuffle out of the water and leave as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran and ran as fast as she could and finally made it to her room. When she locked her door, she stood there and slid down to the floor and crumpled her legs to her chest and cried. She didn't know why she cried but she knew she was scared not because of his feral look but because of those feelings…

PLEASE forgive me for delaying the release of this chapter. Life kind of got in the way. In the earlier chapters I just changed a few words and did a little bit of revising so do not be alarmed. I am at the mercy of my reviewers and my fans that is why I kicked my ass trying to finish this chapter. I promise that I will be done with this story as soon as possible. As Always please leave a review with your visit. :Bows Humbly:

_Shukubo-san_- aunt (younger then one's parents).


	8. Flitered Truths

Filtered Truth

_Sakura blossoms… that is what he smelled. That overly intensifying smell was sakura blossoms. He felt the cool wind spread across his body. He opened his eyes and blinked several times. The sliver moon had risen to its full height. He rose and stretched out his limbs from the sleep that was still circulating through his muscles. Then he heard the light footsteps stalking on the grass behind the bushes. He quickly got to his feet and went to part the bushes._  
_"Kiryuurin…" He was assaulted by a dark form that flew from behind the bushes and threw him to the ground and when he looked down he found the smiling face of his love. _  
_"You should not scare me like that…"he said quickly before she kissed him. It lasted as long as he could go without air. _  
_"I am sorry Taishoumaru. I forgot that you mortals do not have heightened hearing. Did you have to wait long for me," she said as she nuzzled into his chest._  
_"No, I fell asleep," he snickered._  
_"I am sorry. It took me forever to escape my sisters. I was able to leave when Kazane lulled everyone to sleep with her tategoto," she said pouting and then smiling at him and fluttering her eyelashes._  
_"It is ok I forgive you. But there is a reason why I wished to meet you here," he said as his face shifted into a serious scowl._  
_"What is wrong, my love," she said with a hint of worry. _  
_"Will you marry me," he said trading the scowl for a wide toothy smile. _  
_"Of course…"she said as she drew his face down and kissed him passionately._

That invisible power coursed throughout his body again, rousing the darkness that was in his veins. He began to gasp wildly for air. He awoke sweating and his bed sheets were in disarray. His eyes were glowing with the intensity of the burning sun. His clawed hand gripped and tore through the soft-feathered mattress beneath him. He growled low in his throat. _That damn dream again…it has been haunting me for two weeks._ He put one hand in front of his face and let his hair cover him as he leaned forward. Each night the dream became even more vivid and then when he awoke, it would quickly begin to recede back into his subconscious. This had been the worst to date. That women's taste was new but it was like how _she_ tasted. His resolve had melted away and his composure was broken and threatened to let that nameless fear out of his blood.

"Sesshoumaru- sama, Lyoko has returned from his scouting mission. He awaits you in your study," squawked Jaken from behind the closed door. As soon as he finished his statement, the door swung open and hit him square in the beak and knocked him to the floor.

Sesshoumaru stalked his way towards his study. He found Lyoko sitting in a chair near his desk. He rounded the desk and sat facing him.

"What have you found, Lyoko," he said in an icy emotionless tone.  
"Something very interesting my Lord, it seems that the feral and human zombies are being controlled through demon puppetry. I found that there were demon and human commanders controlling the movements of the zombies far from the battle sites. I tracked them after one such battle and found myself in the eastern mountains in the fortress of Naraku."  
"Naraku. Are you certain Lyoko," he said interrupting the fox demon.  
"Yes my Lord, I saw him myself. Then I overheard some of the men whispering about the human army that will be marching from Teshura into Lord Koga's territory. The zombie army is organizing a full frontal attack on Lord Inuyasha and Lord Koga's encampment. Their few numbers of troops will not be able to hold off the sheer number of rotting corpses my Lord," he said stopping and then awaiting his Lord's instructions.  
"Go to my little brother and the wolf and warn them. Tell them all that you have told me and give this letter to him," he said grabbing a piece of parchment and scribbling a few characters on it and sealing it. With a swift bow of his head, Lyoko took the letter and hurried out of the room and into the dark hours before morning.

_Naraku…You bastard. Trying to distract me by going after Koga's territory. Also allying yourself with a treacherous human. This shall be an interesting little tiff. _  
His eyes gleamed and a deadly smirk spread across his thin lips. He quickly strolled over to another table and uncovered a map of Japan. The yellowed parchment was filled with a rainbow of colors, each representing the different realms. The west had always belonged to the inu-youkai since before time; the north held by their distant cousins, the ookami-youkai and the east was taken and forged by force by the demon Naraku. He belonged to no family, had little allies but the amount of weak demons in his army that stuck to him like flies to a rotting carcass was a sight to behold. The south however was a different animal. His eyes glided over the mismatching array of colors that looked like a quilt put together by the inexperienced fingers of a child. The humans had held the south loosely together by a confederation of feudal lords but the boundaries of each kingdom changed every year due to their greed. This was out dated he decided, he had not been paying attention to the humans because there was no need for it. He needed to know what Naraku's ally was doing.

"Jaken retrieve Kagami's mirror." He said as he heard Jaken scurrying away from the door and down the hallway. He gazed back to the map and what seemed like a few minutes he heard a soft raping at his door.

"Come in," he said not looking away from the map.  
"I am sorry to interrupt my Lord but will you have need of me today," he heard her say as he looked up from the map. It took him a second to realize that she was standing there.  
"…Hai. I will need you today. I need to ask you some questions," he said finally after a deafening silence.

"I wish to know all you can tell me about your kingdom, Rin." He saw her straighten and she cocked her head up and stared at him bewildered.

"What do you wish to know about my kingdom, my lord?"  
"What can you tell me about the land and its people? And also about this Shiteka?"  
"Well my lord, there is not much to tell. I guess there are many hills and forests. The people are simple farmers. They are not fighters, my lord. My family forged our lands through peace."  
He nodded in understanding. Someone before him had the same notions through his head. She fell silent again. She appeared to be looking for the words she was afraid to speak.

"And what of Shiteka."  
"He is a bastard. He has no honor. He is the devil himself. He feigned friendship and betrayed my family." She had long since passed grieving and only felt angry. She grew silent and her eyes grew dark and void of any emotion. Pure hatred was in her heart for that man and his family. Her anger snaked off her skin in waves. Her features had twisted and became scarier than any youkai he had ever seen. He stood in awe at the small woman that was able to summon enough emotion to envelope her being and become awesome and terrifying. Then the scene was broken abruptly by a knock at the door. He blinked a few times and he could see that her expression had changed and her mind was back at the surface. Again another knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," he said turning away from her and towards the door. The door swung open and Jaken's little stumpy body inched below a heavy large mirror.  
"Here is Kagami's mirror my Lord," he said huffing and puffing trying to hold the mirror up from trying to squash him.

"Good. Put it over there, Jaken," he said pointing at the far end of the room near the window. After several minutes, he finally reached his destination and adjusted the mirror to its full height. It had finely polished glass and gold dragons crawling and twisting on the frame. Rin blinked several times and then scrunched her brow into a pensive look. This mirror was familiar. Sesshoumaru stepped forward and said a few words into the mirror and soon the mirror's glassy surface liquefied and changed to view a woman kneeling in front of a pool of water. Her black hair spilled over her shoulders despite being held back by a crown of twisted branches. In her hands, she held a large cowrie shell, larger than any Rin had ever seen.

"Ah Sesshoumaru-sama. It has been quite some time. I hear that there is trouble in your cousin's land and you have dispatched the adorable Inuyasha to help. How may I be of service," she said as globs of water rose from the pool and turned into figures sword fighting and one of those figures reminded Rin of Inuyasha.

"Kagami, I need you to investigate something for me. It seems that Naraku has greed in his heart. I wish to know everything about his human ally in the South. The one called Shiteka. He is encamped in the kingdom of Teshura."

"Ah yes the kingdom guarded by the Honoo no Ryu. It is a pleasure to see you alive and well, Kiryuurin hime," as she lifted her gaze and bowed her head towards Rin. Rin eyes became confused as she was at a lost for words at this unexpected greeting.

"Forgive me madam but I fail to know who you are," she finally said.

"I am an old friend of your family," she said not revealing more and smiling at her.  
"However my lord, I ask a favor in return. Protect the hime at all cost, her life will be able to assuage the tides of war in your favor… I will do as you ask Sesshoumaru-sama if my favor is granted," she said as she bowed her head as the glass reverted back to Sesshoumaru's reflection.  
_The kingdom guarded by the Honoo no Ryu…the light that I always see is red like a flame._ He thought as he turned back to Rin.  
"Jaken leave," came the simple direct command.  
"Hai," said the little imp scurrying to exit the room.

"What is the Honoo no Ryu Kagami spoke of?" He saw her move her head to contemplate his question. She shifted and a small glint sparkled near her chest. He never noticed that she wore a necklace.

"What is that?" he said pointing to her chest.  
"It is a trinket given to me by my father. He said it has protected my family since the beginning of our rule in Teshura. It is ironic since it failed us in our hour of need." She reached behind her hair and unclasped the hook and let the sliver necklace slide into her hand.  
"It has been passed down through my family for generations. There is a legend in my kingdom that tells that it was born of the tears and blood of my ancestor that wept for her family's safety. It was meant to be a means of protecting us from strangers and invaders." She watched him hold out his hand and then she responded by placing the ruby in his palm. He slowly encircled the ruby with his clawed hand as he felt the power seep into his skin. This power was raw, it invaded his blood without mercy but it had the same feel as _her_ power. _What is this girl?_ Then he felt the twitching of his muscles as the nameless fear began to eat away at his consciousness. His nails grew and pierced the skin on his hand and brought him out of the suffocating darkness. He quickly let it slide out of his hand and back into hers.  
"What are you," he finally said after regaining his composure. Rin blinked a few times and was silent for a few seconds.  
"I am afraid my lord that I do not know what you mean." He took a deep breath and exhaled in annoyance.  
"I am demon. My brother's wife is human. You are something much more different than a mere human. I will ask you one last time. What are you?"  
She still had that bewildered look on her face.  
"I do not know what you mean, my lord. I am human," she said sounding confused.  
"No. Humans have spiritual powers like my brother's wife but your power is far different. Your power is far older than that of human spiritual powers and far purer than that of a demon. How long does your clan go?"  
"More than a thousand years, my lord."  
"And you can trace all of your ancestors?"  
"Yes my lord all the way to Taishoumaru and Kiryuurin."  
_Tai-shou-maru…_That name struck somewhere deep inside of him. He had a vague vision of a woman forming the name with her lips. Several minutes flew by as he delved into his mind as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. Then her voice broke into his mind.  
"My lord, are you alright? You have been silent for a few minutes. May I get you something?" He shook his head dislodging whatever he was thinking of out of his mind.

"No I am fine. You are dismissed for the rest of the day." He said turning back towards the map on the table.

X

A woman slowly made her way in the moonless night towards the gates of the once beautiful castle that was now riddled with bombshell wounds and black soot. She stopped her horse in front of the main gates and eyed the two guards that were fast asleep.

"Awaken," she said in a bored tone. She heard the men stir and groan. Then she heard footsteps above on the cobbled stones of the wall.

"Gonbanwa…" she heard a man's voice called down towards her.  
"Gobanwa. I wish to speak with you master," she said.  
"What business do you have with my master?"  
"That is none of your concern….." she let her voice trail to a faint whisper and chanted a few words in an indiscernible language. Her invisible words floated to the guard's ear and then he called down, "Please excuse my intrusion miko-sama, you may enter." The guard yelled down at the two sleeping guards and commanded them to open the gates. The heavy wooden latch was forced open and the mountainous iron gates were pushed aside with loud creaking noises. She clicked her tongue and guided the horse into the compound. The shiro was ablaze with torches and soldiers and nobles could be seen walking around the gardens and verandas. She slid off her horse and dusted the journey's dirt off her hibakama. A young soldier along with a young page wondered over to where she stood. His black hair tied to the base of his neck and his boots clanking on the cobbled stones. He bowed deeply and watched her as she returned his bow.  
"What brings you here miko-sama," his rich velvety voice echoed off the stones. He watched her as she removed her bow and arrows from her pack and hand the reins to the young page.  
"Nothing, really I am making my yearly rounds to the Teshura oushiro. I do not recognize you soldier, Pray tell what is your name," she said scanning him from head to toe.  
"Taira no Ikano from Kariudo. I am sorry to inform you miko-sama but King Takemaru and his family were murdered. My sister Itani was married to Prince Riku earlier this year and we forged a peace but those that were opposed decided to attack and murder King Takemaru. My father feeling the loss of his ally and family hunted and executed the culprits and took control of the lands to bring peace once again. We humans are strange creatures." He said leading her into the great hall.  
"Yes," she replied.  
Then she spoke again, "I wish for you to take me to their graves." He nodded and guided her outside to the garden. She followed him into the groves of sakura trees. She saw four mounds each marked with an incense burner baring the buried one's name.  
"I will leave you in private." His deep voice came from behind her.  
"Arigatou," she said kneeling and bowing her head in prayer. She waited until she heard his footsteps die and lit the incense burners and placed her hands upon the mounds. Sparks of lightening flashed through her mind, brief images of weddings and then weapons, bombs and katanas. She heard their voices but one voice was missing, the hime. _Imouto…She is alive._ She said a silent prayer, " May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." She rose and quickly turned on her heels hurrying towards the main palace.

When she approached the steps to enter into the great hall there was a bulbous round figure standing in a black haori, his hands barely fitting over his round stomach.  
"Miko-sama, It does the dead good to have your blessings," he said bowing his head in respect.  
"Thank you my lord…."  
"Shiteka."  
"My lord Shiteka, and I hear you have taken care of the ones that are responsible for these heinous crimes. For that I wish to extend my gratitude, King Takemaru and his family were very close to my heart and it pangs me that someone would betray him like that. He was very much loved and respected by his subjects but in the end there are always those with jealousy," she said with sadness in her eyes.  
"Often is the case in these times of war and strife. Miko-sama it would please me if you would stay and bless this house and my army," he said.  
"There is no need for formalities my lord, my name is Kazane. Since you have righted a wrong and your daughter is a part of the family, you will occupy a place within my heart and I will bless this house and your army, but I can only stay till the end of next month. Then I must be off," she said following him into the great hall. There were torches lit all around and nobles talking in hushed tones.  
"I am afraid that the only room that is left open is the dear hime's room. It is a real shame that this happened. Her body was never found and we gave up hope of ever finding her alive. My heart grieves for them even now," he said stopping and sinking his head into his chest while leading her through the hallways towards the desolate room.  
"Do not feel ashamed to grieve, she was the one closest to my heart. I am sorry to hear that her body was not found. Thank you for allowing me to stay again," she said placing one hand on his shoulder. He bowed his head in return. He then turned and headed back down through the hallway. She quickly closed the door and lit the torches in the room. The room and its objects were covered with dust and cobwebs. She stood silent for a few minutes scanning the room, than she caught the object of her quest. The large mirror stood in front of a small step, its gleaming dragons shone through the dust that had settled over the months. The polished glass still held its refractory surface. She approached the mirror and whispered an incantation. The surface began to ripple and than came the scene of a kneeling woman.  
"Must you always be so damn serious, Kagami," came Kazane's voice as she let a small smile creep onto her lips.  
"Must you be so insulting, imouto," Kagami said looking down at her cards floating perfectly upon the surface of the small pool.  
"What have you found," came her question.  
"Nothing as of yet, aneue, just a bunch of liars and a fabulous looking prince. Also dear sister, you failed to mention that Kiryuurin is still alive," she said arching an eyebrow.  
"I hoped that you would not find out but yes she is. She is in the castle of the western lord, Sesshoumaru. I did not say anything because I want that knowledge to be kept secret," she said looking up and glaring into Kazane's eyes.  
"With the demon, Sesshoumaru. Are you sure that is wise? The Honoo no Ryu in the hands of a demon could be dangerous."  
"I have no fear of this demon. He is not one to rely on sorcery and magic tricks. He is one of reason and logic. Also his hanyou brother is married to the carrier of the Shikon no Tama, one of your family members if I am not mistaken. I believe that he will be able to protect her in the coming war. I expect you to find something by the end of your stay, dear sister," she said as the glass reverted back to Kazane's face. She shook her head and headed to bed, the next two months will be strenuous.

Thanks for joining me on another one of my dribbles. As always please leave a review with your visit. : Humbly bows:  
I put in the line from the end of Hamlet because I love that play.

Taishoumaru- Circle of Life ruler  
Kariudo- hunter  
Ookami- wolf  
Kagami- mirror  
Honoo no Ryu- Dragon's flame  
Shiro and oushiro- fortress  
Kazane- wind's maidservant  
Hibakama- the red pants of a miko's outfit  
Imouto- younger sister  
Aneue- older sister  
And please feel free to ask me about any other words that I forgot to mention in this glossary. Oh also one more thing I went back and changed Rin's real name in my fic to a different spelling. It is spelled Kiryuurin now. The way I spelled it before did not really give a good meaning. So if you haven't gone back and seen the changes it is now spelled Kiryuurin. Ki – fire Ryuu- Dragon Rin- companion or Fire Dragon's companion. The reason why I mentioned the name of the ruby in this chapter and not in the beginning is because the name is the true name of the necklace. You will understand this later.


	9. First Smile

First Smile

_Her small giggle intertwined with the heavy moans that were escaping her mouth. She felt his hot tongue drag over her pink nipple. She felt shivers crawl through her tingling nerves. His soft lips imprinted themselves onto her milky skin as he traveled upwards to her neck. She ran her fingers into his soft hair but then his hands grasped her wrists and brought them to his face. He kissed her fingertips and then her palm and then raised his head to meet her gaze. That heated gaze of his, all the unspoken words of love and adoration were written in that gaze. A smile spread across his lips._  
_"Aishiteru Kiryuurin," he said in his silky voice._  
_"Aishiteru…" was what she could stammer out before he crushed his lips against her own. His tongue explored her mouth relentlessly and all she could do was intertwine her tongue with his. Then she grazed her tongue against a fang and pain shot through her mouth. She did not know one was there._  
_"I am sorry…" came his voice when her mouth retreated back from him._  
_"It was nothing, …" she said smiling and gazing into his eyes._

X

Heavy steps seemed to echo through out her father's palace more frequently than usual. She slowly removed the silk coverings of her bed and quickly placed her bare feet on the cold polished wood beneath her. She made her way towards the large dark blue curtains that hung from the high ceilings and moved them aside to allow enough space to maneuver her small body behind them. As she moved, frantic flickering of torches and large shadows danced across her pale cheeks and white hair. She rubbed her eyes with small hands trying to adjust her eyesight to the large amount of light in the courtyard. She saw large men in heavy armor dancing_…no_ practicing with their weapons. They weaved in and out of each other with their swords, her eyes following each movement of every sword in every hand. Soon the scene before her eyes changed, _to men with different armor and her father's men driving those same swords into each other. Her father's favorite pelt was strewn on the floor covered in blood. Sooo much blood, she was covered in blood._ She put her hands to her head and grabbed a fist full of hair and pulled. The pain registered and she was brought back to the present. She looked down and saw no blood just the strands of hair that she pulled out. She moved away from the window and back into the dark room. No, this would not do, she was afraid; she did not want to be alone when she saw those frightful images in her head. She would go to her sister she decided. She grabbed the blanket off her bed and swiftly made it to her door; she made it creak open and poked her head out. Good no one was around… She made a mad dash towards the end of the hall and turned into another hall on her right. She stopped at the door she was looking for and hesitated in opening it. Surely her sister would be mad at her for waking her up because of scary dreams but she would never really be angry with her. She forced the large door open slightly and wriggled her way inside the large spacious room. She squinted and saw the outline of her sister's bamboo bed in the middle with the white silk curtains drawn. She vaguely remembered her father yelling at her sister for using the space of the room in such a ridiculous matter of putting her bed in the middle rather than by a wall. She made her way to the bed and moved the light curtains aside and whispered her sister's name.  
"Kagura…are you awake," the little girl whispered to the bundle in the middle of the bed.  
"Hai…what is it you want, Kanna," said the voice of a mature female.  
"I had one of my visions again. Can I …"  
"Sleep here with me tonight? I suppose, but you know I will not always be here for you to come run to, you know that right?"  
"Hai," the little girl replied as she waited for her sister to move to allow her into the bed.  
"Well hurry up night does not last forever you know."  
The little girl quickly hitched up her sleeping gown and swung her short legs on top of the plush bed. She grabbed the covers and wiggled herself under them and settled her hand in her sister's hand.

X

_Protect the hime she had said. He exhaled in annoyance. Whom does this woman think she is giving me such an order? Nonetheless, she had said that the girl's life would help in the coming war…That woman and her riddles ever since I was young, nothing but mind games and riddles. Come to think of it, she still looks the same after five hundred years. She does not reek of youkai, she must be something different, human magic does not have the ability to grant everlasting beauty and life…I shall inquire about her when she reports back to me._ _As for the girl, she can do as she pleases… within the confines of my wishes._ His mind grew silent again. He had spent too much time dwelling in the recesses of his brain. Inutaisho had always told him that once he began to answer himself that was when he should fear becoming insane. Of course his father never dwelled too long in his; it seemed to Sesshoumaru that his father was always occupied with someone or something.  
With a small flick of a wrist he nearly missed blocking the punch aimed at his chest. He countered with a palm strike and sent his heavily built opponent down to the floor. The fallen demon growled at the idea of being so easily put to the floor but was met by a quirked eyebrow from his master. The demon stood, bowed quickly and conceded to defeat. He missed his brother's stubborn way of not admitting defeat so easily. Sesshoumaru nodded and spoke, "You may leave and next time to take advantage of my distraction, be a bit faster." The demon nodded and left quickly through the sliding doors of the dojo. As quickly as the door slid shut, they opened again and let Rin's body into the heavily musky scented dojo. Even though the ceiling was high and had slits along the intersections of the beams and the roof to allow the escape of heat, it still managed to keep the smell of sweaty manly bodies trapped inside so it could cling to everything within the room. She wrinkled her nose as she came into the room. She saw her master heading towards the rear of the room towards another pair of sliding doors. She quickly began to arrange all the discarded weapons from the previous fights and returned them to the corners of the room. When once she felt the sunshine stream into the room through the openings, she felt it flood into the room with more force. She felt a slight breeze whisk by and blow a few disobedient strands of her hair onto to her cheek.

He felt her come into the room. He began to recede to the corner away from her and then he saw her wrinkle her nose in disgust. Through centuries of practice, he had learned to dull his senses to that of a human's in order to not be overwhelmed by smells and sights. The smell of sweat was thick and had begun to cling to his body. He saw that she started her duty in placing the random weapons in their various places. He made his way towards the large paper sliding doors on the opposite side of the room. With a simple creak, he pushed both sides with ease and let the full force of the morning sun into the dojo. His irises squinted in order to adjust to the sun's rays. He felt the light wind brush against his cheek and sweep into the room. His eyes followed the winds invisible current and turned his head when he saw her reach her delicate hand and retrieve the stray hairs that played with the wind. He blinked and in that second when his eyes began to recover from the sudden darkness, he saw the faint glow of an_…. earring._ The eerie gold shun against her neck. Its round shape was massive and hung all the way to the base of her neck. He thought he could see intricate lines in the design. He blinked again and it disappeared. _Strange…very strange._ He turned his head and began to survey the rock garden that lay a few feet away from him. He made haste towards the long pole that lie along side of the edging of the garden but refused to grab it. In one swift motion, he jumped on top of the largest boulder. He seated himself on top and closed his eyes. He sighed and opened his demonic senses again. In his mind's eye he could see the boulder upon which he sat and then with each passing second the darkness became the scenery that surrounded him. He saw the distinct aura of the trees to his left and the tiny little sparrows that made their nest in the branches. Their insistent chirping was in full force now that his eardrums were finely tuned again. He exhaled again and then waited a few seconds to inhale. He inhaled all the smells near and far. The trees' leaves were turning and the crisp smell of cold weather was beginning to take root in the air. The flowers of his extensive gardens wafted to his nose then when he began to let the noises, the smells and the auras overwhelm him, the sound of humming and sweeping, the smell of cherry blossoms and roses wafted to his nose and the sound carried to his ears. Then he saw the red fire across from him. It blazed with quiet intensity and heated his face. She was …dancing and humming. He slowly crept an eye open and focused his eye on her, she was not dancing as he thought but sweeping around the edge of the rock garden. For a hime, she did know how to work with her hands. He opened his other eye and began to follow her around as she swept. Why couldn't he keep from staring at her? Why did he always breathe easier when she was around but at the same time rouse the demon animal in his blood? He had long since convinced himself that yes he was attracted to her but it wasn't because she was a rather beautiful human. Even though he came to tolerate the Lady Izayoi and Kagome, he was not fond of humans. The daimyos, that ruled in the southern lands, were greedy and bent on increasing their territories at the expense of every single soldier in their armies and then watched from afar as the battles took place. Wait he was getting side tracked, the girl was not a general and her father was one of the more honorable ones, who truly cared for his people. Every time she looked at him with those hazel brown eyes he felt at home in them, he also felt that he had always known them even though he had never laid eyes on this girl in his long life that has stretched almost nine hundred years.  
"Rin come." She stopped humming and her head quickly snapped up as she heard her name in his low icy baritone voice.  
"Bring me the pole and grab the rake," he said to her as she quickly laid the broom on the floor and made her way around the edge. She handed him the pole and then positioned herself on the side with the rake. She saw him glare at the sand for a brief moment and then began to move the sand around in patterns. He paused after filling his selected space with doodles and waited for her to rake the space clean. They continued this motion for at least an hour. Then he began to get tired of doodling and began to draw out characters to certain words: _War…Shiteka…Naraku…Spineless…Cowardice…Presumptuous…Honoo no Ryu…Protect…Home…Kiryuurin…Taishoumaru…Sesshoumaru…Love._ At the last word he exhaled and shook his head at his thoughts and scratched out everything that he had written. He paused and saw that she began to rake away the remnants of his thoughts and sat upon the boulder again. He observed her again watching intently as she finished raking and placed the pole and the rake in their spots and walked over to resume her sweeping.  
"Where did you come by your skills as a maid? As you said you were a hime in your country, I assumed like most human himes you would know nothing about manual labor," he finally said to her after so long of watching her. She lifted her head and frowned at him.  
After a brief moment he said, "Forgive me for offending you."  
Her frown did not disappear with his apology but she replied, "Yes it was wrong of you to assume something such as that. It would be like me assuming that all youkai are monsters." She paused as she saw his perfect silver eyebrow arch and anger flash in his otherwise stoic eyes. Then she tightened her muscles in her cheeks and flashed him a wide smile that radiated warmth and made her all the more beautiful in his eyes.  
"But to answer your question my lord, my nanny taught me from a very early age that hard work never hurt anyone, even one that has want of nothing," with that said she turned her head down again and continued sweeping. He felt a slight tug on the corners of his lips. He was amused with her answer.  
His voice came again but lower so that they could only hear, " forgive me for stealing your first kiss without your permission. I am not one to do things such as that and in that matter," he stated.  
She laughed out loud and smiled again, "My lord again you are wrong in assuming that it was my first kiss. I have no doubt that you are nothing but a gentleman and not prone to doing such hentai acts." He arched his eyebrow again and anger shot through his body and he could feel his cheeks heating up. This girl was mocking him while he had apologized to her. She spotted his sudden reddening of skin and the anger that set in his eyes. Her tongue had gotten her in trouble again.  
"Forgive me my lord but I do thank you for your apologies and please forgive my tongue. I have always had a tendency to speak my mind. I believe it is unhealthy to hold in your feelings," she said smiling a weak smile at him. It worked, he calmed and replied, "I admire people who have the gift of speaking their minds but my brother unlike you does not know how to pull his outbursts into coherent statements." He let the tug lead his lips into a slight smile.

_I am the worst author in the world. ADD is a killer of creativity. I finally had to slap myself into gear and finish this story. So I can start the others. Well I pulled a reedit overhaul I n the previous chapters. Nothing too major. Yes there will be lemon in this story but not till later. Now I must be off to bed._


	10. Outside the Fairytale

Outside the fairytale

Kagura paced back and forth in front of the large imposing doors that led to her father's study. _She had fled to the fields near the barracks to meet the one person that made her feel true freedom in that gilded cage she lived in. She was standing near one of the many cliffs of the mountain fortress feeling the rush of the eastern wind blow past her loose neck length hair when she heard footsteps behind her. _  
_She smiled slightly to herself and whispered "Your late Bankotsu, I wasn't going to wait here any longer for you." At that she turned around and gasped with fright at the person that stood in front of her. All the blood rushed to her feet and her face became as pale as the white feather clips in her hair. She heard the pulsing of her own heart in her ears as she stared at the person in front of her. Then she heard the shrill high pitch laugh of the one woman she hated the most in her life. _  
_"Relax Kagura. I won't tell your father about Bankotsu. Such trivial gossip is hardily worth my time," the woman said as she brushed her long silver hair off her shoulder._  
_"But scheming your way onto my father's lap is, Tsubaki," Kagura said narrowing her red ruby eyes at her stepmother. Tsubaki grew serious at her stepdaughter's snide comment and replied, "Now Kagura, if you really want me to have a talk with your father about your torrid love affair, it can be arranged. If not than I suggest you behave. Besides I doubt that there isn't much that your father doesn't know. But I am hardly in the mood to fight with you today. Hakudoshi is becoming a pain with all his crying. Anyway, I am here because your father asked me to come get you because he has something of great importance he wishes to discuss with you. I suggest you aren't late coming from your insipid rendevous with that very delicious General Bankotsu." Her shrill laughing was all that Kagura heard when she turned towards the direction of the fortress once more._ Here she was now in front of the gates of hell, hoping that her father would not be angry with her. His temper was rather dangerous when it came to dealing out punishment to his men and even to his own daughter. She heard the door slowly crack open and saw that it was one of her father's many servants.  
The old man said in a low voice, " Naraku-sama will now see you, Kagura- hime," and ushered her into the dark room. If it wasn't for the blazing fire in the fireplace the room would have been devoid of any light. The stone floor held no warmth beneath her feet and made the room feel like a damp cave. In the far corner, she could make out the baboon pelt that her father insisted on parading about in. She heard a low cough and looked towards the fireplace where the long reclining sofa was situated. Her father's long dark raven hair spilled over the edge and sides of the sofa. She had seen many women swoon over the beauty of just his hair but what was truly attractive, her mother Yura would say, was his nonchalant attitude. It was true that he was as dangerous as any predator but he took it in strides and that is what made him most terrifying in her mind.  
"You called for me, chichi-ue," she said bowing low under his scarlet gaze. Those damnable eyes of his, she had inherited them, she could not deny that she was his daughter. When she was fifteen, she realized how much alike they were and tried to cut out her eyes and shave her head bald but that did not go over well with him and he caught her and gave her a severe beating because she was defiling something that was his.  
"Well Kagura, it is time that you start doing things for your kingdom. You are going on a lovely trip to the west."  
"Demo… I do not wish to leave chichi-ue," she whispered.  
She heard her father scoff as she continued to gaze down at the floor.  
"Why the change of heart? This would not have anything to with My General Bankotsu. Up until a few months ago you would do nothing but complain about not having any freedom, like that damnable bitch that you had as a mother."  
She quickly straightened her back and locked his gaze with her own shocked eyes.  
"Don't act so surprised at that Kagura. You should know me better than anyone in this castle. You should know that nothing escapes me. If he wasn't such a good commander and inspired such loyalty with the troops, I would have killed him a long time ago for tampering with something that belongs to me. Anyway, daughter of mine, I suggest you discontinue your little tryst so you can have time to woo the Lord of the Western Lands. War is such a costly affair. Why make the effort with war when the same results can be achieved with making love? I am sure you will have no problem with that, after all you are my daughter."  
"No I do not want to go…" her weak attempt at defiance was cut off with an echoing slap across her face. She blinked a couple of times before the pain and the heat set in. She lifted her hand to her face and slowly pressed her flaming cheek. She let her lower lip slightly fall and tremble, while tears began to well up in the edges of her eyes. Her father's hand suddenly sprang forth and grabbed her wrist and applied pressure.  
"Now Kagura that isn't how you answer your dear father is it," he said forcing her to her knees.  
"No chichi-ue. I beg your forgiveness. I will do as you say," she said meekly. He released her and walked back to his previous seat on the sofa and sat down.  
"Now you will leave in a week. That should give you ample time to get your affairs in order. Oh and Kagura do not think of leaving the fortress." He snapped his fingers and two large men clad in armor appeared from behind a hidden door. "These are your personal guards. They are here to insure your safety." He slowly sank back down onto the sofa and slowly closed his eyes. A single tear slowly slid down her cheek and she turned around in a huff and left the room with her nose upturned and the two males in her tow.

X

_Ike…Thunk… Bullseye…_Kazane smiled as she hit her mark once again with her bow and arrow. She looked from the corner of her eye and spotted the young prince Ikano looking in her direction with his eyes glazed over.  
"Is there something you find interesting about me, my young prince," she said loudly, effectively startling him out of his reverie. She smiled evilly and turned her head back to the target. She heard his boots softly crunch the grass next to her. She then turned her head as she heard the shifting of his silken robe and saw that he was bowing.  
"Forgive me for staring my lady. It is just that you remind me very much of the Kiryurin hime. In the short time that I knew her, she became very close to my heart," he said in a most formal tone.  
"Oh my, staring at me is hardly worth the trouble of apologizing, my dear prince. It does the dead good that they are in the thoughts of the living. And besides I like when people stare at me," she let out a short giggle and watched that his features soften and smiled along with her. Their quiet bliss was interrupted when groups of soldiers began to file into the training grounds. She watched the soldiers' every move intently. They passed in groups of four, bowing out of respect as they made their way around her and their prince.  
"Well my lady, I suggest we hurry inside to be on time for dinner since you made it out of the kindness of your heart," said Ikano's soft voice as they stared at the men practicing their stances.  
She silently turned towards him and followed him to the main palace.  
"Tell me my dear who is it you intend on conquering with such a vast army," her voice came from behind him.  
"It is a secret my lady. But for you I will tell. We are allies to the lord of the eastern lands. A year ago the lord of the northern lands attacked his borderlands and then denied involvement in the whole ordeal. Well our ally has asked my father's help in securing his borderlands," she smiled and nodded at his explanation. He breathed easier that her curiosity was assuaged.

She had listened to his breath slow and a look of relief wash over his features. He had just lied to her and he believed that she was nothing but a foolish religious icon that knew nothing of truth beyond their master's. He was mistaken. Border patrol did not require such a large quantity of men and also did not require a route from the western coast through northern mountains when his ally was the eastern lord Naraku or Onigumo, that insufferable half spider demon that knew nothing but bloodlust and mayhem. At the age of fifteen he had already become the eastern lands scourge under the name Naraku. By the time he was twenty he had succeeded in dissolving the loose ties that held the eastern lands together under his father. When the taiyoukai, Dokugumo, had been lost in battle, being a bastard of his father did not help his claim to the throne, so instead he opted in feigning loyalty to his brother and became his shogun. His brother had failed his people and in return the beloved general was granted lordship over the eastern lands. His first act was to subjugate everyone who opposed one ruler over the eastern lands and they were put to the ground. She had seen it through the looking glass, Shinkyou, her sister's window to the past present and the forbidden future. But she never imagined that his thirst for power and conquest would lead to an ill-fated battle. Her thoughts again returned to the present as she followed behind the young prince. Unlike his father, Ikano showed true emotional distress when it came to any mention of the Kiryurin hime. He seemed genuinely in love with the girl. No matter how much her sister sat indifferently to her gossip, Kazane knew her sister paid extra attention to any juicy morsel that came from the family. She smiled to herself. Tonight would be the night she would report of the last month to her sister. She had arranged to cook for the family to solidify her privacy during the report and her escape.

X

The door slowly creaked opened and allowed Rin's body to pass through into Kagome's waiting room. She looked around the dimly lit room and spied a door in the rear, cracked open. She hurried into the room and saw her sitting in the rocking chair cooing and softly rocking back and forth.  
"Hello, Rin," Kagome said after she finished humming.  
"How did you know I was here," she asked in a hushed tone.  
"Living in a house with demons, one always needs to know what is around her. Besides I heard your footsteps in the waiting room," she said turning her head upwards and smirked at Rin. Kagome then rose out of the chair and walked over to the basket that was near her bed and placed the bundle inside. Kagome bent over and began adjusting the infant's blanket around his small body. Four months had already passed and he was growing so fast, faster then she and her ladies in waiting could make clothes.  
"You know Rin, it has been almost a month since I saw you last by yourself," she heard Rin giggle slightly. Kagome straightened her back and turned around with a smile on her face and a gleam in her eye.  
"Well, then Rin-chan you must tell me everything," she said linking her arms with the girl and practically dragging her out of the room into the sitting area of her apartments.

Kagome's sitting area was one full of bright orange silks that hung from the ceiling and dark blues and a host of colors taken from the rainbow. The tatame mats also had every color in each square with soft pillows that were arranged in small heaps around a low dark cherry wood table. It had been rumored that Kagome was not from Japan but from the mainland. Kagome let her body fall into the heap like a doll and began stretching her aching limbs. Rin straightened her kimono under her and sat in the middle of the heap on the other side of the table.  
"So Rin tell me. What do you want to drink tonight," she said lifting her head up from the pillow while attempting to sit up.  
"I don't know Kagome-sama…."  
Kagome's hand shot up and she said, "Stop right there! Call me Kagome. I prefer it. It took me a long time to get used to all the formality but I still prefer to be called Kagome. And as for the drinks, I could go for some sake, ne?" She then gripped her tiny fingers around the bell at the edge of the table and rang it. One of her youkai servants appeared at the sliding door and waited for her mistress's orders.  
"Yoko, bring Rin and I a bottle of sake from the kitchens and have Hiara stay with Kaze. Tell her to inform me if anything is wrong with him," she said turning her head back towards Rin.  
"Hai, Kagome-sama," the servant said as she backed out of the room with her head bowed. A long silence ensued between them and Rin looked about the room at the multi-colored silks that hung from the ceilings.  
"Kagome sa…," she caught herself and began anew, "Kagome, they say that you are not from Japan, they say that you are from the mainland. But to me you look very much Japanese," she said gazing at the gold embroidery on the pillows.  
'_They_ would say something like that. Actually I am very much Japanese, I just did not grow up here. But that is a long story."  
"Oh please tell me, I love stories."  
"Ok. Let me ask you do you know about the Shikon no Tama," she waited for Rin to nod her head and continued her story. "I am sure that you know of its inception and how it can grant any wish. Personally I wish that the thing had never been created. It has brought nothing but ruin to my family, starting with my grandmother Midoriko." At that statement Rin's eyebrows bunched up in confusion.  
"Umm….but isn't the Shikon no tama, supposed to have been created 700 years ago," she said interrupting Kagome.  
"Well yes actually, it was," she giggled slightly as she saw Rin grow more confused by her answer, "You see I am far older than I look. I stopped counting after the first hundred years. You see what they did not include in the story was that when my grandmother bounded her soul inside the jewel, she bounded us all to its fate. My grandmother's brother and his children and their descendant such as my dear friend Sango, my mother and aunt Kaede, myself and my brother Souta and now my son as well; we are all victims of the fate of the jewel. One thing the legend also does not mention is the fact that it prolongs the possessor's life span. Well after my grandmother died in the creation of this jewel, the monks of her temple cloistered it and allowed people to come and touch the jewel as if it was Buddha who had placed it in their hands. The people began spreading rumors that it granted any wish and so greedy humans and demons came looking for the jewel. Wars ensued over possession of the jewel and finally my mother with help from her uncle and other family members took the jewel and left to the mainland. That was over 600 years ago. There she traveled with her only companion, my father, to visit countries and people that you would have never known existed in this world. In the end, my mother was involved in a war and mortally wounded. It prolongs life but does not make one immortal. She told me that it was time for the jewel to go back home to Japan. Long story short I am here. Seems all too fantastic, ne?"  
"Yes…I had no idea the story outside of the legend," Rin said after a few seconds.  
"Yes, being outside of a legend is rather disappointing," Kagome said with a sigh. As if on cue her servant slid the door open and placed the tray with two porcelain cups and a rather large ceramic bottle of sake. Yoko bowed her head and immediately retreated from the room. Kagome reached over and poured a glass for Rin and then one for herself.

When she knew that her servant was far from the room she said, "I hate how everyone is so formal. That is why I love Inuyasha so much. He does not hold his tongue and is quite amusing sometimes. Unlike that brother of his that hardly let's any emotion seep through that mask unless….he is with you."  
She saw Rin's face blush and turn her head and cough slightly out of embarrassment.  
"Surely I do not know of what you speak of. He seems exactly the same as when I arrived here."  
"Sure he does to those who do not know him. I told you before that I have noticed the way he looks at you. His glare softens and his breathing becomes erratic. You two look so adorable taking those afternoon walks in the garden. I am surprised that you have so much energy the way you bounce from flower bush to flower bush. I am getting sidetrack," she said shaking her head. She slowly took a sip of her drink and let the heat spread from her tongue down to her throat. "Are you attracted to him," she said not missing a beat while drinking her sake. She saw Rin quickly cough up her drink and set down the cup.  
"Oh come on Rin. I know he may have his dislike of mortals but he has made no more exceptions than his father and Inuyasha. It runs in the blood, you might say. For someone like him to truly enjoy the company of a mortal well there has to be something more than just physical attraction on his part, ne," she said arching her eyebrow.  
A long silence ensued and after several fast shots of sake she answered, "Umm….I don't know Kagome. I do not know what to think. I feel like…. I feel like I have known him forever but I have only been here a little more than half a year, if that sounds sane," she said looking down into the small cup and sloshing its continents around inside.  
"Love is never sane," Kagome said firmly and taking another sip of her drink. This had to be the fifth cup she had already and her body was feeling very warm.  
"Wha…What, this isn't love," Rin said gulping down the rest of her drink.  
"Give it time. As far as I know he hasn't been in love with anyone before and is far time he started," Kagome said snatching the cup from Rin's hands and pouring the liquid to the very rim of the cup. Rin accepted the cup with as much grace as she could muster after five cups of sake. They sat there exchanging stories. Rin telling her about her family, but it was mostly Kagome entertaining Rin about the many places she had been to in her long life. She told Rin of the beautiful palaces of the mahrajas of India, the wonderful Buddhist temples in Cambodia, the many animals in the jungles that she described with vivid imagery. When they had started it was nearing dusk and by the end of four bottles of sake, it would be a few hours to dawn. Rin suddenly let out a yawn and said her goodnights to Kagome and excused herself to her room. If it was any other time she would have known her way to the other side of the castle but this was not any other time. Like a drunken man, she stumbled her way towards her room, taking with her several armored statues and curtains.

When the first crash was heard, he quickly opened his eyes and scrunched his brow in agitation. Then he heard the curtains in the hall ripping like someone was pulling on them. From this distance he heard the small yelp and the strong smell of sake in the hall. He quickly rose from his bed and slipped on his yukata and loosely tied it over his body. He stalked reluctantly towards the door to greet the person who had disturbed his sleep. Just as he reached the door, it opened and Rin came crashing into his chest and he reacted quickly and held her up with his arms. Rin let out a loud shriek but was extinguished by a strong-clawed hand over her mouth. He saw her dark eyelashes flutter in confusion but did not manage to drive the glossy, hazy fog that came with the large quantities of liquor that she had consumed the past couple of hours. He moved his hand when he was sure that she would not scream again. They stood in silence, a pair of serious golden eyes staring down at a pair of hazy chocolate ones. The curiosity had gotten the better of her hindered judgment and she reached up slightly and touched the jagged purple streak on his soft skin. He moved his head away from her hand.  
"Forgive me my lord, I…I..," she stumbled over her words as the alcohol begun to really make its damage by forcing her into a comatose sleep right in his arms. He growled as she began to pass out and lifted her from the ground and carried her body to his bed. He resisted the urge to sigh and neatly put her body down on the soft mattress. She shifted and moaned something that his demonic hearing could not catch fast enough. Then she groaned again, " Ses….ho..mar….," his name. He smirked slightly, she was dreaming about him. He gently moved the stray hairs behind her ear. She was so beautiful, he had finally admitted to himself. She had brought something to him that he would not name. He sighed and made his way over to the other side. Tonight he would just sit and watch over her.

_Wow ok I love this chapter very much. I appreciate the support. Thank you guys. You know who you are. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I loved the chapter. I love the scene of Kagome and Rin drinking. _  
_Dokugumo- poisonous spider_  
_Shinkyou – Divine Mirror_


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